


We Rise and We Fall

by thecarlonethatalsowrites



Category: Runaways (TV 2017)
Genre: Alien AU, Alternate Universe, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Mutual Pining, Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:08:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 29,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21838753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecarlonethatalsowrites/pseuds/thecarlonethatalsowrites
Summary: While trying to find closure from her sister's death in a late-night ritual on the beach, Nico Minoru happens to be in the right place at the right time to witness an alien crash land on Earth. With nowhere else to run, Karolina must rely on Nico to help her fit in on Earth and hide from her past. As feelings between them develop, they're both motivated to keep Karolina where she is, even if intergalactic forces are trying to steal her back.
Relationships: Chase Stein/Gertrude Yorkes, Karolina Dean/Nico Minoru
Comments: 41
Kudos: 312
Collections: Runaways Big Bang 2019





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This work is part of the Runaways Big Bang honoring the third and final season of Marvel's Runaways. And what a season it was. Not ready to say goodbye to these characters yet, so here they are in AU form. Hope you enjoy!

As the setting sun cast its last rays of illumination, a smear of red where it reflected off the Pacific Ocean, Nico Minoru knelt within her insignificant sphere of light. It was the only light for miles on the darkening beach. The source; a bonfire Nico built from driftwood she gathered while there was still sunlight. It burned in the center of a large, five-point star she drew in the sand. Almost directly on each point, smaller pinpricks from candles flickered like planets orbiting a central sun, only somewhat protected from the wind by their glass jars.

That same wind tugged at the page corners of the book in Nico’s hands, threatening to flip them wildly and make her lose her place. She used a thumb pressed into the pages above the book’s hinge to fight its whim. The fingertips of her other hand traced words she read for the hundredth time tonight. She needed to practice in her head before saying them aloud. If she wasted tonight’s full moon, already halfway risen, she wouldn’t get another chance to perform this ritual for a month.

Nico shivered as a particularly cool blast of wind buffered her back. She underestimated how much the temperature would fall. The ocean wind brought coolness that while welcomed during the heat of the day made Nico’s skin prickle now. The usually burning sand was chilled without the sun to warm it and bled through her tights where she was kneeling, adding to her discomfort. But all Nico's attention was on her ritual and the cold did little to distract her.

As the sun finally dropped below the horizon, Nico could have sworn the wind blew with gusto. The waves crashed harder against the shore. Nico was far enough up the beach to avoid the tide, but some of the more aggressive waves sent up spray that splashed against the back of her neck. She would have to complete this ritual before the tide beat her out in real estate.

“I summon the Triple Goddess,” Nico began, her eyes skimming over the words she engrained in her soul, “in all her names, faces, and forms. I summon the mother, the maiden, and the crone. I summon you who lived yesterday to emerge from night shadows into the light!”

Abandoning her book in the sand, Nico rushed to her left, hands trembling as with great precision she switched out the unlit jar sitting on the point of her drawing for a lit one beside it. Working around the star, she repeated the process for all five points. She scrambled to her feet when she finished, the loose sand making it difficult to keep her balance. She barely noticed herself gasping for breath. She was too intent on the bonfire in the center.

Some not so insignificant part of her had faith in this ritual, which was why she was attempting it in the first place. That part tumbled into despair faster and faster the longer nothing happened. Her eyes burned from staring into the fire for so long. The candles burned down until they guttered at the very end of their lifespan and Nico didn't notice. The rage within her grew as the fires died. As time stretched on and nothing happened, something within her finally snapped.

With a yell, she snatched up her book. As angry as she was, Nico couldn’t see anything but the flames. Screaming all the while, she drew back the book, preparing to throw it into the fire.

A streak of white light in the corner of her vision halted her in her tracks. Still poised to chuck the book into the fire, Nico whipped her head toward the light. Her eyes widening at what she saw.

Crossing Orion’s Belt was what appeared to be a comet. It’s bright tail extended long past the coma that punched its way through the sky. Nico hadn’t known there was supposed to be a comet tonight, and she watched with open-mouthed awe. The part of her that believed screamed that this was the sign she was waiting for, though she couldn’t begin to interpret it. For now, she was content to bask in the spontaneity of the event, especially as it arced closer to the horizon. 

It was so bright that when Nico blinked it left an impression behind her eyelids. She frowned at that, concerned. Perhaps this was one of those events you weren’t supposed to watch with bare eyes and she was currently doing irreparable damage to her retinas.

She couldn’t worry about that for long. The coma became more distinct from the tail. It ballooned in size as though about to explode. Nico’s stomach flipped with worry that it might until she realized it was hurtling in her direction.

Nico barely managed to throw up her arms in front of her face before the shockwave from the comet crashing blasted into her, knocking her off her feet. Sand pelted her skin like tiny needles, and she tried not to breathe it in. Then she couldn’t breathe a moment later when the pain of needles disappeared and seawater drenched her. Nico sputtered and tried to find a grip on the beach as the water rushed back out to sea, trying to drag her with it.

She ended up waterlogged and on her back, too close to the shoreline for her liking. She could imagine the ocean greedily licking at her boots, aching to taste what it would feel like to drag her under the waves for the rest of eternity. The air burned her lungs with the smell of sulfur. She spared a brief thought about how it could be dangerous to breathe in, but the need for oxygen was greater than her fear of the fumes. She coughed and scrambled to her feet, hair sticking to her face and neck, skirt clogged with sand and water.

The wave washed away all signs of her ritual, so the blazing L.A. lights were her only guide away from the water. Wringing out her skirts and wondering what the hell happened, Nico squinted out over the water. Her eyes took time to adjust to the dark, but the massive steaming object a few hundred yards down the beach was tough to miss once they did. It blazed red hot, though it was quickly cooling from the water it rested in. Waves crashed against it, still settling in from being displaced by the impact.

Nico’s curiosity got the better of her. Adrenaline made her limbs shake as she made her way in soggy boots toward the object. It was much easier to move on the wet sand than dry. She didn’t have to worry about balance. She set about righting herself as much as she could during the short march. The drenching only made her more aware of the cold, and Nico was thankful her mom insisted on a waterproof case for her phone. It was in her pocket and would have been destroyed if not for the quality of Wizard tech.

By the time she came close to the object, it had stopped steaming and the water mostly settled back to its normal pattern. Or, as normal as it could be with a giant space rock disturbing it. The meteorite was far enough out to sea that Nico had to squint to make it out. Her eyes continued to adjust to the dark and she startled when she could finally see the object in detail.

It wasn’t a meteorite. It was a ship.

Nico stood stunned on the beach, thoughts whirling like the tides, too fast to pin down. There was a literal space ship right in front of her. It wasn’t anything from Earth. She was familiar with that through the constant feed reporting on the nation’s space program running in her house. Her parents even dabbled in space travel, being the tech giants they were. This ship was too sleek, too (dare she say) alien.

A brilliant, rainbow-colored light spilled from the ship through a rectangular portal. The water lapped a few inches below it, not quite high enough to flood inside. Then something moved, and the light spilled out of the ship into the water with a splash. It caused a strange effect as the dark water became clear with the glowing thing thrashing beneath the surface. Before Nico could dash forward to help, it found its footing. A humanoid figure rose from the water.

Its form was visually fluid, and Nico had difficulty finding its outline at first. A long wave of light almost like hair flowed out of its head to rest in the water, which came up to its waist. The creature’s back was to her. Its hair billowed in the wind, revealing its body. It wore a skintight, sleeveless jumpsuit that covered it from chin to toe, though it was torn in several places. It didn’t glow except for where it exposed skin, giving Nico a better idea of its feminine outline. 

It struck Nico then that she faced an actual alien. She gasped at the revelation and the figure turned at the noise. She appeared female by Earth standards. Though her features were radiant, they were more solid than her hair. They were also twisted in pain, and as she turned she gasped. One hand shot out, seeking support from her exotic ship and the other wrapped around her middle as though she was clutching an injury. After witnessing the violence of the crash, Nico would be surprised if she wasn’t hurt.

“Are you alright?” Nico asked, taking a step closer to the water. 

At her movements, the alien raised her hand, the one previously clutching her ship, palm facing Nico. She said something Nico didn’t understand, and with the glow, it was hard to judge her expression.

“I’m just asking if you’re hurt,” Nico said, taking another step. 

This time the alien spoke again, louder, and accompanied her words with a blast of light that shot from her hand and slammed into the beach. Nico screamed and threw up her arms to protect herself from flying sand. She got the feeling that the alien missed on purpose, and looking at the sizeable crater it left on the beach, she didn’t want to be at the end of one of those blasts. She halted, not daring to move again.

When she saw Nico wasn’t going to be a threat, the alien let out another groan of pain. She dropped her hand back to her ship and hunched over like it was the only thing keeping her upright.

“So you obviously don’t speak English, which is a problem because I want to help you if you’re hurt. I don’t know how to convey I’m not a threat.” Nico couldn’t help the words from spilling out. She combed her brain for an idea, though the best she could come up with was the Vulcan salutation from the hours of Star Trek Alex forced her to watch. Considering what the alien could do with her palm, Nico doubted the gesture would be construed as non-threatening.

Before she could think of anything, the alien stumbled as the waves changed their pattern. Nico’s eyes widened. The alien was standing in the middle of a riptide. The water hadn’t settled enough and it was too dark for her to recognize it sooner.

“Watch out!” Her warning came too late as the greedy current continued to unbalance the alien. It was so strong even her ship shifted position. The alien stood no chance and horror took Nico from her bones as she was dragged under.

If the alien didn’t glow, Nico would have lost sight of her immediately. Because she did, Nico could see exactly where the water took her. She would watch her drown, and there was nothing she could do about it. In just a few seconds she the current dragged her farther out than Nico would have dared swim. Not that she could have fought the riptide. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the ship also slipping away from the shore. Her attention was almost completely drawn to the alien. A few times the light intensified as she tried to breach the surface, like a dying whale desperate for air. She was too injured, for she never managed to get more than her head and shoulders above the water.

Nico’s gut churned as the alien’s struggles grew weaker and weaker. By the time the current spat her out, Nico could make out no motion at all. Only because she was still glowing could Nico tell her position, washing back to shore. Nico couldn’t say why she was crying, tears carved paths down her recently dried, salty cheeks.

With extreme trepidation, Nico walked to the glowing body washed up on the shore. The alien was face up, not moving, and as far as Nico could tell, not breathing. All signs pointed to her being dead, with whatever injuries she sustained in the crash combined with the trauma of the rip current. And still, she glowed.

That glow was all Nico needed to retain a sliver of hope. She fell to her knees next to the body, gritty sand working through her tights and poking her knees. Her instincts kicked in, consistent training in CPR for almost two years being enough for Nico to make herself useful. Later she would be grateful they paid off, even though she never imagined herself in the same kind of situation as the one that prompted her to take the classes in the first place. For now, she ignored the sand and grabbed the alien’s wrist, feeling for a pulse on near autopilot. 

Either her physiology was too different from human or Nico’s hands were shaking too much, but she didn’t find a pulse. A voice in the back of was screaming it was too late. Nico ground her teeth and ignored it as she began chest compressions. She didn't let herself worry that she was doing more harm than good considering the alien’s injuries. She had no idea if CPR would even work on her. That didn’t mean she wasn’t going to try. After 30 compressions she tilted the alien’s head back to open her airway and pinched her nose to begin mouth-to-mouth. Then she was back to compressions.

After three more cycles, Nico's vision was but a blur through tears of stress. She was about to give up when finally the alien choked. Nico sprung into action, turning her on her side as she coughed up what must have been half the Pacific. She curled into a ball facing away from Nico, shivering. Nico rubbed between her shoulder blades to help her clear her lungs and soothe her coughing. When she finally finished, she flopped onto her back, completely exhausted. 

Fatigue weighed down Nico’s limbs, though right now her relief was too great for it to be too much of a bother. She rested one hand on the alien’s sternum where her collarbones met. Her chest rose and fell. She was breathing. Nico’s head hung in relief and her eyes slid closed, a few strands of wet hair escaping her top knot and hanging about her face.

The relief didn’t last long. Even through closed eyes, Nico could see the alien’s glow, until it faded completely. Her hand plummeted through thin air and her palm struck beach. Her eyes snapped open as she took in the sand before her in disbelief. The alien was gone, the only trace of her a faint outline in the wet sand. Nico lifted her hand and glared at her palm, seeing only sand grains and nothing to hint at where she might have gone. She was right here and half dead. What the hell could have happened?

It was then that the fatigue hit. Nico leaned back on her heels and cast her tired gaze out over the ocean. The waves unbroken by the spaceship made Nico start. She was searching for proof that she didn’t hallucinate the past half an hour. There was no sign of the ship. Either it the rip dragged it out or it never existed in the first place. Nico was too exhausted to parse out which it was.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas Eve! Hope you all are enjoying whatever holidays you celebrate

Nico dragged herself home from the beach, powering through her physical and emotional exhaustion. She was numb from her fingers to her feet, too tired to care that something died right in front of her. Or in a better case scenario, too tired to psychoanalyze why she would imagine something so fucked up. 

When she fell into bed as the clock hit 3 am, she was leaning toward believing the latter. Aliens were too far out, even for her, the teenage Wiccan. With no evidence to prove that it really happened, Nico was forced to concede that she made the whole thing up. She groped around for the edge of her blanket, eyes already sealed shut with exhaustion. There would be an inordinate amount of sand in her bed tomorrow, as she didn’t have the energy to change. That would be something for her future self to remedy, as Nico fell asleep as soon as she dragged her blanket to her chin.

When she was in such deep slumber, the passage of time meant nothing. An alien invasion could have happened and Nico wouldn’t have woken for it. She slept so deep that not even dreams disturbed her. Only a beam of sunlight slicing through her curtains landing right on her face forced her to come to consciousness.

Nico wrinkled her nose as the light coaxed her from her rest. She groaned and dragged her blanket over her head to block it out. With her eyes burning she cursed at her curtains in her head. Why couldn’t they just do their damn job?

As the air underneath her blanket became too stale for her to breathe, Nico had to admit defeat. She psyched herself up before raising the blanket a few slow inches at a time. She gasped at the state of her room. It wasn’t a single beam of light slicing through her curtains that woke her up. The whole room was doused in a gentle, pulsing rainbow, bathing her dark decor in pastel light. Nico’s eyebrows drew together as she tried to place why that was familiar.

She bolted upright when the events of the night before finally came back to her. She had to cup her hand over her mouth to stifle her scream. It would no doubt make her parents come running, which was the last thing Nico wanted. Not when a glowing girl was sitting on her dresser, watching her sleep.

“Y-you’re real!” Nico choked out around her hand.

“As far as I know, yes,” the girl said.

“You speak English now!”

“I do.” All Nico’s former momentum seeped out of her as she stared dumbly at the alien, her mouth hanging open. She was still in the ragged jumpsuit and looked significantly more lively, as though even the injuries she sustained from the crash melted away. Nico pressed both palms to the bed, needing the stability to counter her sudden lightheadedness. To her credit, the alien didn’t react to being gawked at. She may have realized she was an oddity on this new planet.

“What...are you?” Nico finally managed, once her head was a little clearer.

“I think who are you would be more polite,” the alien said. “I don’t think you're physically capable of pronouncing my real name, so I think Karolina should be fine for now. Who are you?” She hopped off Nico’s dresser. The objects lined up on its surface clattered as she took a step toward the bed. Nico scrambled back, tangling with her blankets and nearly falling to the floor. When her hand slipped off the edge of the mattress, she flung her feet off the bed and stood up. She never turned her back on the alien.

“What happened to you after you washed up on the beach?” She asked, her curiosity overwhelming any urge to partake in social niceties. It also overwhelmed most of her fear, so there was that at least.

“I’m pretty sure I zapped into your device.” Karolina nodded at Nico’s phone sitting on her nightstand. “My form is mostly energy, so I must have subconsciously recognized it as a haven. It allowed me to rest and heal, and learn quite a bit about this planet, such as the dominant language. It’s no longer waterlogged, but I’m sorry to say that there were some adverse effects from me spending the night inside it.” 

Nico pressed the power button to confirm Karolina’s suspicions. A few pixels in the top left corner refused to light up. She groaned, thinking of other issues that she couldn’t find at a cursory glance. She frowned up at the alien, who seemed bashful, with her ankles crossed and gaze averted.

“You saved my life last night,” she said. “I’d like it if you’d introduce yourself.”

“Couldn’t you have gotten that information off my phone?” Nico asked, sharp and defensive. It dawned on her how violating the thought of having everything on her phone exposed to a stranger from another world was.

“I stayed away from your personal information. It seemed like an invasion of privacy.”

“Oh, and watching me sleep isn’t?” Her question made the lights dim, as though the alien became more self-conscious. “Is this an invasion? Are there many more of you?”

“No, I swear. Even if it was, I owe you a life debt. I would not harm you, ever,” she said.

“Ok.” Nico enunciated the single word with extreme care. She was unable to grasp the gravity of a ‘life-debt’ still groggy from sleep, but it gave her pause for thought. “Then what are you doing here?” 

Karolina chewed on her lip. “My story for your name.”

“Nope.” Nico shook her head, tangled and frizzy hair catching in her mouth and eyes as she did. “You already owe me, you said so. And you’re on my planet, in my room. Start talking.” 

Karolina huffed and her lights pulsed brighter. Somehow looking into the light didn’t burn Nico’s. She was able to stare as she wouldn’t have been able to at a lamp or the sun. Karolina’s light was more like starlight. The longer Nico stared at her, the more tiny pinpricks of white light stood out from her skin and hair. The rainbow lights that dominated her physique shifted and pulsed across exposed skin, rippling across the walls of the room. But the white lights were stationary, like freckles. They were less noticeable, drowned out by the awesome display of color. But once Nico spotted them, she couldn’t understand why she never did before. Were they scattered across Karolina’s entire body? She could have peeked through the tears in Karolina’s clothes which also shed light, but Nico avoided staring. It was too prying, in her mind.

“I suppose that’s fair,” Karolina said, startling Nico from her study. Nico couldn’t keep the surprise off her face, and it caused the corner of Karolina’s mouth to upturn. That grin told Nico this wasn’t a complete victory and her ears burned at being thwarted. Not hard enough to keep her from listening, but enough to remind her that whatever secret, unbalanced score there was between her and Karolina, the alien was catching up.

“I come from a planet called Gibborim. There are many of my people, and yes they all glow like me. My family is powerful, though I’m told we’ve been declining since a short time before I was born. To remedy that, my parents worked out an agreement. I was betrothed to a Xartan Warrior.”

“A what now?” Nico asked. Karolina narrowed her eyes

“Do you want to hear this story or not?” Nico gestured for her to continue. “Xartans are another alien race. We’ve been at war with them for almost two generations, which, considering our longevity, is a really long time. They are much more warlike than us, and would never admit defeat until every last one of my people was destroyed. Gibborim was safe because it’s hidden and empowered because of our proximity to a white dwarf star. 

“Anyway, the betrothal was meant to be some kind of peace gesture, which is why Gibborim’s leaders approved. I was willing to go through with it as well. I wanted peace more than freedom. I still do. But I found out what my people had actually done to the Xartans.” Karolina’s fists clenched and she fell quiet. 

“What was it?” Nico asked when Karolina didn’t continue.

“Nothing good. We were the monsters, and they agreed to merge our people out of fear of being wiped out. My family’s real plan was to let the Xartans believe in peace and let down their guard, then annihilate them.”

“That’s...terrible,” Nico said. “And you were going along with it?”

“Not once I learned the truth.” Karolina’s jaw worked as she ground her teeth. “I couldn’t let that happen, so I ran away. Which could have been completely pointless. Gibborim could still destroy Xartan, though I doubt they will anytime soon since they no longer have an easy plan. Not as long as their bargaining piece is in the wind. I was trying to get as close to your sun as possible, but my ship was damaged traveling through this solar system’s asteroid belt. I only got as far as Earth before I crashed.”

Against her better and wanted judgment, Nico’s chest was tight with sympathy listening to Karolina’s story. Though she didn’t speak with a self-pitying tone her story exacted a certain degree of empathy.

“So, you’re like, what? A runaway?” Nico asked.

“More like a refugee.” Nico bit down on a scoff. They could disagree on semantics as much as they wanted. Both words started with ‘r’.

“What about your ship? I mean, it kinda got dragged to sea. You won’t be seeing it again.”

“That’s alright. I have no intention of returning to my home. Besides, this planet doesn’t seem so bad,” Karolina said. Her tone was more desperate than hopeful, emphasized by the way she couldn’t meet Nico’s eye. “It might cause problems for Earth if the wrong people get their hands on that technology, though.”

“I doubt it’ll come to that,” Nico said. “It’s a miracle you washed up. Your ship got swept into the biggest ocean on Earth, which also happens to be filled with junk. What’s a little more on top of it?”

“Well, that’s good at least,” Karolina mused. “Not that your ocean is full of garbage, but that my ship is gone forever.” Her eyes widened, and her voice became raspy. “And I’m stuck here. On a planet I’ve never heard of and where I stand out like a literal beacon, and if my parents or anyone find out where I’ve gone they’ll annihilate me and this planet before I can do anything about it.” She crossed her arms, turning on a heel and started to pace. “Nah, this’ll be super easy, I got this.”

“Woah there.” Nico intervened when it looked like hyperventilation was oncoming. “Take it easy. Emotions aren’t really my thing, and…”

“Oh, that’s right!” Karolina started backing toward the bedroom door. “My parents taught me to never leave any witnesses on pre-space travel planets, but you saved my life. I should leave you and your hair alone, you’ve done enough—” she reached for the doorknob and Nico squeaked. She bounded over and slammed herself into the door, which Karolina opened a crack. Light spilled out for a brief moment before Nico cut it off with a bang.

“Ok, first of all, the phrase is ‘get out of your hair’. And second, I’m not going to let a glowing girl from outer space just wander around my planet. Especially if you’re going to go on a murderous rampage.” Nico said, putting herself between Karolina and the door. There wasn’t much room to do so. She could feel the warmth radiating off Karolina. Nico tramped down on her discomfort as she formulated her argument. “What if the attention you draw brings your war here?”

“I’m not going to kill anyone,” Karolina mumbled. “And I can figure something out.” Her voice wavered with uncertainty. She took a step back and Nico slouched against the door with relief. “What about you, though? I don’t even know your name and you’re going to harbor an intergalactic fugitive?” 

“Nico,” she mumbled, even as she went rigid with Karolina pointing out the flaw in her plan. It would be stressful hiding Karolina from her parents, and she had no idea the dietary requirements of an alien. Plus she might be putting herself in great danger. The fury of two alien races paled in comparison to what her mother would do if she found out about all this, especially if Nico kept it secret. Her mother would get to her first and there would be nothing left for the Gibborim to pick apart.

“I’m sorry, what?” Karolina’s voice yanked Nico from her spiral. She shook herself back into the present.

“My name is Nico. And we have a much more immediate problem than anyone who might be after you.” She grimaced. “Some people on Earth will want to exploit whatever you know about technology. If your planet has mastered space travel, anything you know will be far ahead of what we do. And you happen to be in the home of two of the most ruthless tech giants in America. Your parents might be genocidal maniacs, but mine are businessmen. And I’ve never known anyone to stop them from getting what they want.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: suicide mention and PTSD

Earth was not what Karolina expected. Not that she’d had any expectations coming into her current situation. She’d never heard of the planet before, but from what little of it she managed to explore was like nothing she could have imagined. It was dark half the time. It had oceans that killed covering most of its surface. It was populated with organic-based life forms who all had tiny supercomputers in their pockets she could inhabit. The supercomputer thing was old. The inhabiting was new. Something about the way they were built differently from the technology on Gibborim allowed her to attune to them. 

What Karolina did imagine as her fated new home was a barren rock as close to a star as possible. A bleak, lonely fantasy, yes, but one where she suffered nobly so her planet couldn’t commit the atrocities her family planned. She would not be part of that. She’d rather live in exile.

This was much better than anything she pictured during that long, long journey from Gibborim.

She was still lonely most of the time. Her gracious host had to keep up appearances that everything was normal, and that meant spending most of her day at school. (“Day” was another thing Karolina never imagined, along with its companion “night”. Gibborim was always brightly lit.) At least Karolina was plenty used to being cooped up. On Gibborim, it wasn’t safe for her to be wandering around, her father explained. She was safer at home until she was old enough to join her family in the business of running Gibborim. Some lie that was. They needed more than seventeen years to indoctrinate her in their evil ways. Even though it was all she knew, the suffering her father caused as the Magistrate of Gibborim was wrong in every way. Karolina had no choice but to rebel against it. She just hoped Nico would never find out she was ever a part of it.

Karolina was anything but bored, even though she couldn’t leave the confines of Nico’s room except to escape into what Nico deemed as “safe” electronics. The charade would be up, Nico said, if Karolina ruined any of the many electronics within the house. Her parents would notice immediately, being the tech geniuses they were. Nico provided her a simple wardrobe from what she called a “thrift store” and entertainment through her laptop. Karolina explored Earth well enough through the internet that came on it. Nico warned her that the internet was the worst of humanity, and in some ways, Karolina agreed with her. But for the most part, she was learning a lot and getting into fights with people on something called “twitter” and meeting nice people on the same site.

For the first week, she was content. Everything she learned was important, and Karolina soaked up as much as she could. Her end goal was getting out of this room, and anything that would help her blend in would bring her one step closer to that goal. The internet sent her well on her way in one regard. In another, even if she became completely fluent in all things Earth, she would still stick out. And so, Karolina spent much of her time experimenting with her form.

On Gibborim, there were a few who could control their energy well enough to change forms into one that didn’t glow. Those who remained planetside had little use for the ability, and so Karolina herself never learned. She found herself regretting that, seeing as it would be the one useful thing she could apply from her old life into the new.

It was almost by accident she discovered the secret. Nico kept the curtains of her room closed at all times, especially at night to keep anyone from seeing Karolina’s glow. Karolina didn’t see the sun for three days. It made her lethargic. A concerning sign seeing as she didn’t need sleep. Eventually, she didn’t have the fuel she needed to sustain it, and her glow faded.

The surprise on Nico’s face when she came home to find a blonde-haired, pink-skinned Karolina was enough to keep her chuckling for days. Nico hadn’t recognized her until she spoke, and even then Karolina received a verbal lashing for scaring her. 

After that incident, they made sure Karolina had at least a few hours of sunlight a day, though she found the less she had the easier it was to maintain her humanoid form. With some experience and experimentation, the transformation became easier and easier to control. She found she couldn’t use most of her powers in her humanoid form. The next stage of her trials was keeping parts of her body in one form while keeping others in the other, so she could, say, blast lasers from her hand without lighting up like a glowstick.

When she told Nico this, she snorted, commenting that there was no way lasers would be anything but subtle. Karolina couldn’t help but pout a little until Nico rolled her eyes and conceded, saying she could imagine a few ways such control would be helpful.

If Karolina was being honest, Nico was a large part of why she was trying so hard to acclimate to life on Earth. The internet was a great and entertaining place to learn, but nothing compared to direct contact. If every human was half as cool as Nico, Karolina wanted to meet as many people as possible. Nico was funny and kind — though she tried to hide it — and stayed up later than she should have to keep Karolina company, even if it made her tired in the morning. Her efforts kept Karolina sane, cooped up as she was.

But therein lay the biggest obstacle in their current plan. If this was to be Karolina’s life now, she was not happy. She specifically ran away from everything familiar to avoid being a captive. And after a week she was starting to feel like one. Hence her effort toward blending in.

Karolina tapped away against the keyboard of Nico’s laptop. Her mind was completely elsewhere as she half-heartedly argued about something she didn’t care or know much about with someone called @pu$$ymon$ter69. It was her most recent strategy for keeping sane. If she couldn’t go anywhere physically, her imagination could at least alleviate some of the boredom. It was a tactic she used often on her journey. At the moment, she was plotting a way to present her case to Nico so she could finally get out of this room. Logic should be at the forefront of it, but Karolina wasn’t above adding in a little begging.

Because she wasn’t paying much attention, the whole system she and Nico set up to hide her existence nearly collapsed. Karolina had just enough awareness to register the door creaking open. She choked back a gasp, slammed Nico’s laptop shut, and zapped into a small rectangular device Nico called a DS. It was so old it barely worked, so it didn’t matter if Karolina’s presence destroyed it. Besides, it wasn’t charged. They found that Karolina could inhabit dead electronics without damaging them.

Karolina could not hold her breath in this form that was little more than a bit of energy, but she stilled all the same as she extended her awareness into Nico’s room. The DS was inside a drawer of Nico’s nightstand, though that didn’t block Karolina from being aware of her environment. Whoever opened the door was being cautious about entering, buying Karolina the few seconds she needed to hide. She poked her head in just as Karolina started watching the room.

It was a head belonging to a severe woman with a cold expression and dark, tightly pulled back hair. Her very appearance made Karolina shrink in on herself, even though she didn’t have a physical form to do so. If this was Nico’s mother — and with the resemblance, there was no doubt — Karolina understood all at once Nico’s over the top caution. It no longer seemed over the top now that Karolina was face to face with her. She cast her meticulous gaze around the room and Karolina feared she caught a glimpse of her glow. Karolina had faced worse threats before, but now she was here a confrontation was more terrifying than spending the rest of her life alone in the void of space. Karolina was still frozen with fear when the door opened further and the woman stepped wholly into the room. She didn't find anything out of the ordinary, at least with just a glance.

Her high-heeled steps were muffled by the carpet as she made a beeline for Nico’s desk. She opened Nico’s laptop and typed in the password. While waiting for it to boot up she started going through the desk’s drawers. Karolina hoped she wouldn't notice the laptop was still warm. 

Nico’s mom — Tina, she remembered Nico said her name was — took a careless approach in placing anything back where it was. The desk was a bit of a mess, anyway. It would cover her tracks. Karolina didn’t take her to be the kind of person who would half-ass something she set her mind to. Should she place things neatly, as even Karolina’s brief exposure made her suspect was in her nature, Nico would know something was off in an instant. If she didn’t want Nico to know she was going through her things, Nico never would. Except for the fact that Karolina was currently fulfilling the role of counter-surveillance. She paid close attention, straining her awareness for any detail she could pick out.

Tina didn’t find what she was looking for at the desk. She moved to the laptop after slamming the final drawer shut. The pattern of her typing was jerky and inconsistent like she was irritated and in a hurry. Nico’s laptop was a dead-end, too. The hard smack of flesh on wood rang out as Tina bashed her fist against the desk. She growled before slamming the laptop shut. She didn’t waste time wallowing in frustration, moving on to search Nico’s dresser next. She pulled out drawers to search through them and rattled items on its surface. Karolina feared she might break some of the more fragile bottles. When nothing shattered by the time she pushed away with a huff, Karolina had her first bit of relief. It was an odd feeling amid her panic, especially when Tina cast her gaze about the room as if unsure where to search next.

“Nico.” Karolina startled when she spoke aloud to the empty room. Her voice was strained as though she was barely holding back tears, and she was unable to contain the words that bubbled out. They were so faint Karolina doubted whether the woman knew she was speaking aloud. “You’re scaring me. I’m won’t let you go like Amy.” Her words baffled Karolina, who was instantly curious about the meaning behind them.

Her resolve hardened by the end of the sentence, and she set her sights on Nico’s nightstand. Karolina's logic wasn’t enough to drive away the spike of fear brought on by that look. There was no way for Tina to sense her inside the DS. But Karolina couldn’t equate her with the kind of person to be deterred by the impossible. If she was discovered, everything she’d been taught told her she had to get rid of the witness. But what about Nico? She and her mom didn’t seem close, though she’d surely be upset to come home to find her mom vaporized.

Just as she began sifting around the mess on the surface of the nightstand, there was an alert from a device outside of Nico’s room that made her pause. Her footsteps retreated as she went to investigate. She cursed quietly and then shut Nico’s door, leaving Karolina alone in the room once again.

Karolina did not relax. The decision she hadn’t made hung heavy in her mind. Now the moment had passed, she knew she could never have gone through with killing someone. The fact that she considered it at all made her sick. There was still a long way to go if she wanted to reform herself from her family’s brainwashing.

She stayed put in the DS for an aching amount of time, paying close attention for any sign of someone entering the room. A hundred years passed before the door finally opened for Nico. Karolina was so relieved she accidentally zapped out of the DS with a flash of light. Nico jumped in surprise, on hand flying to her chest over her heart.

“What the hell?” Nico cried.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” Karolina said. She let her light fade. Nico always relaxed her shoulders when she was in her humanlike form.

“What were you trying to do, then?” Nico let her bag slide off her shoulder. It hit the ground with a thud and fell against the wall next to the door. 

Karolina shook her head. “Nevermind that. Who’s Amy?” Nico froze immediately, faced away from Karolina. She was halfway through unlacing one of her boots and let go of her foot with the knot half untied. 

“Where did you hear that name?” Her voice was flat as a dagger. Karolina winced.

“Your mom came in to search through your room. She mentioned her.” Karolina was indefinitely more curious seeing Nico’s reaction to the name, but also more cautious. She didn’t want to cause Nico undue strife, and at the same time yearned to satisfy her curiosity.

“Of course that’s something she’d do,” Nico said. Her voice was watery, and when she turned around there were tears in her eyes. They contrasted heavily with the rest of her furious expression, and she blinked rapidly trying to dismiss them. “Did she get what she wanted?”

“I don’t think so,” Karolina said. “She seemed frustrated and didn’t get to finish before you came home.”

“So she literally just left as I was walking through the door,” Nico growled. Her hand reached for the doorknob as though she was about to storm off to confront Tina right then and there. Karolina took a step forward, holding her hands out in what she hoped was a soothing gesture. Not that Nico would turn to face her. It was like confronting a wild animal and she was unsure of what either of them was going to do next.

Finally, the tension drained out of Nico. She turned her head away and raised one hand to wipe at her face. She sniffled quietly despite her efforts to conceal her pain.

“Um, what did she say about her? About Amy?” Nico choked out. Karolina didn’t dare to move any closer, though she was only a couple feet from Nico.

“She said she wasn’t going to let you go like her,” Karolina said. Nico sniffled again, and from the frequency at which she was wiping her cheeks, Karolina guessed she was crying in earnest now.

Karolina made a decision then. She bridged the small gap between them, stepping heavily to warn Nico of her approach before ever so gently placing a hand on her shoulder. Nico trembled, her breath coming in shaky gasps. Karolina tried to put as much comfort into the touch as she could. Whoever Amy was, she was a great source of pain for Nico. Karolina would go so far as saying the same for Nico’s mom. She was beginning to be sorry for bringing her up and tried to do her best to remedy the situation.

After what could have been moments or hours of Nico crying quietly while Karolina provided pitiful comfort, Nico took one final shuddering breath.

“I wasn’t crying,” Nico lied.

“I know,” Karolina said. She did her best to keep her face expressionless as Nico turned around. Her dark makeup was surprisingly intact. However Nico suppressed her tears was rather effective.

“Thanks for telling me about my mom,” Nico said. “Come on, sit down.” She placed one hand over Karolina’s, keeping it against her shoulder, and lead her to the bed. She sat and Karolina followed her example.

“I wouldn’t have asked if I knew it would hurt you so much,” Karolina said.

Nico sighed. “That’s alright. It happened a long time ago, but it still feels so raw.” Karolina slid her hand down Nico’s arm and found her hand. She took it in her own, feeling the relative coolness of it through Nico’s fingerless glove. She wasn’t nearly as warm as Karolina.

“You don’t have to talk about it.”

“I want to. Kind of.” Nico gave a halfhearted smile. “We never mention what happened, but Amy was my sister.” Karolina’s fingers twitched, the only sign of her surprise she gave. The way Nico spoke in past tense lent no illusions as to where Amy was now.

“I’m so sorry,” Karolina said. She had no great relationship with her own sister, but couldn’t imagine what it would be like to lose her, even if she was in league with the Magistrate.

“She killed herself three years ago. Our family was crumbling. Mom was obsessed with work, even more than she is now. Amy found out our dad was having an affair, she started drawing away. We were both under too much pressure from Mom to do well in school. There might have been other stuff going on, but I guess she just couldn’t take it anymore.” 

Karolina politely ignored the teardrops that fell onto the back of her hand. She was busy choking back her own. 

“Things are better now in some ways. But we’re just as broken overall, and any healing has been at the surface level only. Obviously.” She waved at her tearstained face. “That’s what I was doing on the beach when you crashed. Trying to, I don’t know, contact her spirit or something. I know, desperate and weird.

“Nico…” Karolina trailed off, wishing with all her might and Nico knew each other better. Maybe then she’d be able to provide better words of comfort, or any at all. Say she wasn’t weird, justify her grief. The best she could do for now was hold her hand and provide something steady to lean on when the emotional toll of telling the story started to affect her.

“It’s weird. I’ve never had to tell anyone this. They all know the whole story already.” Because their shoulders were pressed together, Nico’s shrug brushed Karolina. 

“Thanks for telling me,” Karolina said. Nico nodded.

“Thanks for the warning. I guess now I have to act less suicidal.” Nico rolled her eyes. “Like my mom makes that easy. Who wouldn’t hole up in their room with her around?” Karolina stayed silent, not sure how to respond to that.

The silence stretched on, slowly shifting from melancholy to introspective. Nico’s breathing evened out and she no longer sniffled with every inhale. Karolina’s original plan to ply Nico about going out fell by the wayside. She didn’t wish to burden her any more than what she already carried. Karolina would have to be content being in the present.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy NYE! Everyone enjoy your nights. Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops, sorry I'm posting a day late. School started up this week, so I'm trying to figure out my new schedule. We should be back to normal now my dudes. Happy New Year!!!

Nico’s hand darted to her nightstand, fumbling with her phone to turn off the alarm as quickly as possible. She glanced over her shoulder at the lump of blankets on the other side of the bed. Karolina was still breathing evenly, though the most surefire way to tell she was still sleeping was the muted glow of her skin. She hadn’t the mastery to keep it off while she was asleep, but at least it was barely half as bright as she was awake. Still, Nico’s instincts were to look for telltale signs of humans, not aliens.

Sometimes Karolina was so bafflingly alien Nico had to pause and reassess why she was even doing this. She’d been weird before she met Karolina, but nowhere near sleeping next to the alien fugitive she was harboring weird. The cultural gap brought on by them having been born on different worlds was almost too immense to bridge. All Karolina needed to survive was sunlight and a place to hide, and only one of those things Nico could provide. On occasion, it felt like Nico was taking care of a slightly more complicated house plant. A house plant she didn’t want to wake up.

She carefully slid from under the covers, trying not to rustle them too much. Collecting clothes and makeup was a tiptoeing affair. She left the room for the bathroom down the hall as fast as she could. Neither of them would be happy if she accidentally woke Karolina. Gibborim technically didn’t need sleep, as long as they had sunlight. Karolina was like a living night light, conscious in her prison 24/7. Her light didn’t bother Nico, but her sleep schedule was still suffering. The feeling of being watched permeated her subconscious and made her nights restless, even though it wasn’t Karolina’s intent. Combined with Karolina slowly losing her mind from hours of nothingness with no reprieve, they were forced to come up with their current solution. Her bed was plenty big enough to share, and the hours of unconsciousness Karolina managed was a small form of escape

It was something she had to get used to. 

Nico never had a roommate before, let alone one who slept in her bed. Having another teenaged girl in the house again after Amy was so far removed from anything Nico could have imagined she didn’t quite know what to do with herself. Growing up with a sister should have prepared her for this. But the roommate thing was tricky. Karolina was the nicest person in the galaxy, and even if Nico was half that nice two weeks was a long time to spend in such close quarters. At least Nico was able to leave her room. At the very least dressing would be awkward without privacy. Karolina’s only respite was zapping into electronics, and she couldn’t keep it up for long without recharging her solar energy. Their current situation wasn’t a permanent one. It essentially amounted to Karolina being stuck in a prison cell for the rest of her life and Nico never having any privacy ever again.

She frowned as she finished off her eyeliner. They would have to come up with a better idea if she was to remain Karolina’s haven. It was not an easy job. Hiding an entire person in her room while living in a robot house with controlling parents for two weeks must have been some kind of world record. Nico capped up her eyeliner then scooped up the rest of her makeup in a clatter of plastic. At this point, their current situation wasn’t going to be ruined by outside forces. They could keep it up long enough to work out a better solution so long as they could keep their cool.

* * *

Letting her bag fall to the floor with a loud thump, Nico threw herself face-first onto her bed. School was annoying. Her friends were annoying. Life was annoying. Nico would be surprised if she hadn’t ground her teeth into nubs by the time she graduated from high school.

If Tina hadn’t crossed the line by searching her room, she certainly did so now. The last thing Nico wanted or expected was to be pulled out of homeroom by a school counselor in front of all her friends. The lecture on how there were always options available to her and people to reach out to would have been bad enough on its own. Now her friends were also on a baseless suicide watch. All because of her mom’s meddling.

Eventually, Nico had to turn her head, unable to breathe through her pillow. Her old DS was on her nightstand. The curtains were pulled back, letting in a slight breeze through the open window. Nico frowned. Something was off about that. She focused back on her DS. The light was off.

Nico bolted upright.

“Karolina?” She called. “Karolina?” No response. Shit. Nico clamored out of bed. She stood in the middle of the room, turning to examine every inch of it. Like she wouldn’t see a glowing alien at first glance. Panic rose in her stomach. Had she been discovered? Did her parents call the FBI to have Karolina carted off to Area 51 or some otherwise secret government facility? She raced to the window, her hands fumbling around the sill as if it would give her any clue. It was wide enough Karolina could have left through it. But that option was just as bad. Karolina could be anywhere, could have left at any time.

Nico flinched as her hands brushed something hot. The metal lining on the bottom sill had tiny heat waves rising from it. Warmed by the sun, which was blazing overhead. If she was out there, Karolina must be getting one hell of a charge.

No matter what the case, it was best to test her theories before she became too attached to any. And the easiest logistically was the most paralyzing to her. Fists clenched at her sides, she forced herself out of her room. The faint sound of the downstairs TV buzzed in her ears. As good a place as any to start.

“Hey, Nico,” Robert craned his neck toward her approaching from behind. “The VCR is full of Game of Thrones. Want to catch up with me?” Nico was halfway through shaking her head when the picture on the screen caught her attention.

“Reports coming in from downtown L.A.,” said a woman holding a microphone. The news ticker across the bottom of the screen read “mass hallucination in front of weed dispensary”. The reporter continued. “Customers and bystanders alike claim to have seen a shooting star mere yards above the boulevard. Some claim it left a streak of rainbow-colored light as it passed.” Nico nearly swallowed her tongue.

“Uh, Dad? What’s that?” She croaked, although she needed little confirmation.

“That?” Robert gestured at the TV with the remote in his hand. “A bunch of stoners being, well, stoners. Wait, Nico—” She didn’t hear the rest. Nico already spun on her heel, phone in hand searching for the location of the dispensary. She snatched her keys from the bowl just inside the front door, which she slammed in the way her mother would constantly chide her for if she were home. She couldn’t bring herself to care. All her thoughts were for the many, many witnesses. They hadn’t saved Karolina’s life, and though Nico was pretty sure she wouldn’t carry out her threat, today was proving just how unpredictable she still was.

Her thoughts were a whirl as she settled in the driver’s seat of her car. Her hands skimmed the wheel with excess nervous energy. She took a few deep breaths before tackling the task of getting her keys in the ignition. As the car whirred to life and she gripped the steering wheel, let loose what she’d been containing since she first caught a glimpse of the news reports.

“She can fucking fly?”

* * *

Following a trail from its source when you didn’t want to let on that you were following it in the first place was a pain in the ass, Nico found. By the time she reached the dispensary, the news van and reporters had already left, as had most of the witnesses. She managed to browbeat a cashier into telling her which direction Karolina flew off before a manager became suspicious and asked to see her id. Nico left in a hurry with only a vague notion of where to look.

The search continued with agonizingly slow progress. Nico became more and more frantic as the sun sank lower into the sky. Karolina would be even more conspicuous in the dark. As if she hadn’t done enough to blow her cover already. Plus, the later Nico stayed out the more worried her parents would be. She berated herself for not leaving her dad with a better excuse than a view of her back as she stormed out. Now that she was out here searching, Nico wasn’t about to leave Karolina to the mercy of the L.A. streets. At least the trail lead to the edge of the city. Karolina had that much sense.

As the city started to fade into wilds, Nico made fewer and fewer stops for interrogation, much to her relief. Not only did the stops slow her progress, but they frustrated her more than anything. Most of the people she talked to were worse than useless, too afraid to admit to seeing strange things. They were more open to Nico than they would to a reporter who could broadcast their delusions and ruin their lives. Though if this was open, then Nico was an extrovert.

Eventually, Nico came to a place in her search where there could have only been one place Karolina went. Her headlights flickered on as she turned down a final street to one of the most iconic places in the city. It was obvious now that she found it. The Hollywood Sign was all but a beacon, and isolated enough that it was an excellent hiding place. Though, now that the sun was going down Nico could see she was just in time. As she came closer, the base of the H reflected shifting rainbow lights. Familiar lights. Nico parked as close as she could get and coughed on the dust her car kicked up when she exited.

“Karolina?” She called. Immediately, the lights blinked out. Nico started to panic. Was Karolina hiding? Did she run away on purpose, not wanting to be found?

She threw her head back in relief when Karolina stepped out from behind the sign. Nico rushed to her, heedless of anything but the end to her worries. She forced a rough hug on Karolina, who accepted it like a statue. Her hands came up to brush Nico’s back after a moment, though she stayed stiff.

“I’ve been looking all over for you,” Nico said as she pulled away. She leveled her best glare at Karolina. “What the hell?”

“I didn’t mean to,” Karolina said.

“Oh, that makes it fine. You were on the news! My dad saw you, and who knows how many other people? Running off was stupid and dangerous.”

“God, you sound like my mom,” Karolina scoffed. She flipped her braid over her shoulder. “I didn’t mean for it to go this far. I thought I could control myself. The sun’s a lot more intense during the day than I expected.”

“You shouldn’t have been out in the first place.” Nico resisted the urge to stomp her foot. Couldn’t Karolina see how much danger she put herself in?

“I was bored!” Karolina threw her arms in the air. She snapped her mouth shut with an audible click. A stab of guilt turned Nico’s stomach. “I was really, really bored.” Watching her deflate, Nico’s guilt twisted deeper.

“Right.” She rocked back on her heels. “Well, clearly our current arrangement wasn’t going to last forever. I’m sorry I’ve been kind of holding you prisoner.” She forced herself not to think too hard about those last words. It was the only way she would be able to say what Karolina deserved to hear.

“That’s ok. I’m sorry I ran off,” Karolina said. 

Nico sighed. “Yeah, thanks for not vaporizing anyone. That would have been very difficult to cover up.”

“Not to mention murder!” Karolina’s eyes were wide with horror. “I know that’s what I’ve been taught, but I could never…” She trailed off. They lapsed into silence. Nico clasped and unclasped her hands, just to have something to do. Her many rings clinked against each other. A few of them became tangled, giving her a few extra seconds of occupation.

“So, what do we do?” She asked to change the subject. She wanted to take back the question as soon as she asked. There was an idea in Karolina’s eyes, but the way she wouldn’t meet Nico’s gaze said it wasn’t one Nico would like. “Look, I’m not going to abandon you after this long. You know better than I do what would be best for you. And I see you have an idea, so don’t try to hide it. I’ll know if you’re lying, too.”

“Nico, the mind reader,” Karolina quipped. She finally raised her eyes, and Nico would take all the teasing in the world to get them to stay that way.

“I am, aren’t I? Now, don’t make me invade your head even more than I already have.”

“You only see what I want you to see.” Her tone was haughty, but there was a wide grin on her face. “And you’re not the only one who can read minds. My idea isn’t one you’re going to like.”

“Listen, if someone had told me two weeks ago that I’d be Earth’s foremost expert on alien life I’d ask if they escaped a mental hospital, but here we are. Lay it on me.” She spread her arms in what she an attempt to appear more open. Karolina toed the ground as she opened and closed her mouth repeatedly, searching for the right words.

“Take me to school with you!” She blurted out. Nico blinked incredulously. It was all she could do to keep her jaw from dropping, which would only add to the surprise she was sure was painted all across her face. “Hear me out before you say I sound crazy.”

“You sound crazy but ok.”

“Thanks,” Karolina said dryly. “Have you forgotten that I can go completely incognito? I’ll hide in your DS. That way I’ll be aware of everything that’s going on but no one else will be the cleverer.”

“Be the wiser,” Nico corrected absently. “What if you need something? I won’t be able to detect you any more than the other humans.” It was seriously concerning that she was thinking of herself and her peers as humans. This alien stuff was taking over her life.

“Easy. I’ll just flash the power light if I need something. You can plug in headphones and I’ll be able to talk to you. Airproof!”

Nico had to admit it wasn’t a bad plan. It certainly was better than keeping Karolina locked up forever. And it wasn’t easy for her to say no to Karolina’s pleading eyes. She pressed her lips together if only to delay her acquiescing.

“Fine.” Karolina squealed with excitement and leaped into the air. Nico worried she was going to take flight again, but she came back down to throw her arms around Nico’s shoulders again. “But we’re taking every precaution.”

“Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Karolina’s exuberance nearly knocked Nico to the ground.

“Thank me when the plan works,” Nico grunted.

“Trust me,” Karolina rested her chin on Nico’s shoulder. “With the two of us behind it, it will.”


	5. Chapter 5

“How are you doing in there?” Nico asked, peering into her bag for what was the thousandth time that day. The black DS was in the same place it always was.

“Fantastic.” Karolina’s voice was tinny through her headphones. “I don’t know why you always complain about school.” 

“You truly are alien,” Nico muttered, shaking her head. She had no idea why Karolina found school exciting, though she could almost understand. Even sitting in a classroom all day probably beat being cooped up, though not by much. Or standing, more often. Fuck this school and its “alternative learning.”

They worked out a decent system on the drive home from the Hollywood sign. With Karolina’s experimentation in the DS, she managed to figure out how to flash the power light. It was a perfect signal to Nico, who then could plug in her headphones and hear Karolina, just like she was now. She always had headphones in at passing time anyway. Kept people from talking to her. Well, people she didn’t like from talking to her. To herself, at least, Nico admitted she’d rather talk to Karolina than most everyone else in this school.

Nico squinted as the flow of students pushed her out the doors into the school’s blindingly bright courtyard. She was too enamored with Karolina’s commentary on the first half of the day to notice it pushing her outside. She planned to find somewhere quiet to eat lunch. Hopefully quiet enough to give Karolina a break from confinement, though in her excitement she didn’t complain about it too much. Already there were too many people outside for her taste. She couldn’t see any empty tables. Maybe she could bully some of the younger kids away from theirs.

“Who’s that?” The question came through the headphones at the same time Nico spotted the exact people she didn’t want to see. She dropped her gaze and hid her face with one hand, turning on her heel to book it away from them, even though it was too late. They’d spotted her and were waving.

“My...friends,” she muttered through gritted teeth.

“Why are we walking away then?”

“Because I don’t want to talk to them right now.”

“But they’re you’re friends!”

“Yesterday was problematic,” was the only explanation Nico was willing to give. 

“Beyond me running off?”

“Yes.” She didn’t want to be subjected to what was sure to be a full-on intervention. Getting one from the school was bad enough.

“Well, go fix it.” Nico froze where she was.

“It’s not me!” She protested. She didn’t want to think too hard about the fact that Karolina thought it was her fault things were screwy. Especially not since she wasn’t too far off.

“I want to see what other humans are like.” Karolina switched tactics out of the blue and Nico struggled to keep up with her.

“You have the internet,” she said. She was itching to be anywhere but here. At any moment, her friends could have spotted her on the news. She didn’t exactly blend in, and she saw more cameras in her pursuit. She could have easily been caught on one of them. Then she really couldn’t walk away, not without setting off more alarm bells that she already was.

“Nico, what’s the point of showing me around if I don’t get to meet anyone?”

“They won’t even know you’re there.”

“ _ I’ll _ know  _ they’re _ there. That’s all that matters. Please? For me?” Nico hated how she could practically envision Karolina’s pout, the same one she used to convince her of this awful plan in the first place. She scowled as she hung on to the last bit of resistance she could manage. She already made a decision.

“Fine.” She marched over before she could let herself change her mind. “But you’re not going to distract me while we sit.” She plucked out her headphones before Karolina could convince her to do anything else. 

“Hey, Nico.” Alex’s eyes were wide as he greeted her. His tone made her feel like a wild animal he was doing his best not to scare off. Nico nodded in acknowledgment, sitting between him and Molly. He pushed up his glasses and turned back to his lunch.

“We’re glad you’re here.” Molly rocked into Nico, nearly pushing her off her chair. Nico couldn’t hold back an affectionate smile, small as it was.

“Thanks.” The longer anyone went without mentioning yesterday’s counselor fiasco, the gladder Nico was she decided to sit with them. She buried her attention in her lunch to keep them from getting too used to her affection.

“Did you guys see the news yesterday?” Gert blurted out, lacking anything approaching tact. As usual. Nico steadied herself for a tirade about the latest wave of sea creatures that washed up on the beach full of plastic. “The flying glowing chick that everyone is trying to pass off as a hallucination?” Nico almost choked on her lunch.

“Because it is,” Alex said. “The only witnesses were a bunch of stoners.”

“Every single person on that street? And what about the other reports throughout the city?” Gert asked, sticking a fork into her thermos in triumph. “Besides, if there was some kind of mass hallucination, why would everyone see the same thing?”

“It’s gotta be a hoax,” Nico said. Her stomach sat like a rock, and it was hard to get air into her lungs. How many other people paid as much attention to daily going ons as Gert did? Not many, she hoped. But if there were enough, Karolina could be in real danger. 

“Again, how do you fake that kind of thing?”

Nico scoffed, hoping it would help hide her panic. “Uh, we live in L.A? The special effects capital of America? It was probably some kind of drone or something.”

“Huh. I didn’t think about that,” Chase said. When Gert glared at him he shrugged. “I was on board, but you’ve got to admit Nico has a point.”

“Real supportive there, babe,” Gert said dryly.

“You’re the one always saying blind support isn’t helpful.” At his words, Gert’s face took on a thoughtful expression.

“I do, don’t I? You actually listen, sometimes.”

“Now who’s not being supportive?”

“Awww, look how cute they’re being.” Molly rested her chin in her hand. “Aren’t they cute, Nico?” Gert and Chase each blushed fiercely.

“Adorable.” Nico grinned, thrilled to move on to a less panic-inducing topic. At least, for her.

For the rest of lunch, Nico managed to put aside her fears of discovery for the most part. It crossed her mind a few times to hope Karolina was enjoying listening in, but she was more optimistic that her friends were normal. Or, as normal as they came. How much of that was from Molly bullying them into leaving her alone? The longer it went on, the less doubt she had it was Molly’s influence. Every time Gert had that look about her that preceded her sticking her nose into places it didn’t belong, Molly sent a glare her way so fierce Nico would have been pressed to emulate it. Nico didn’t let on that she was aware of what was happening. All the better to support Molly’s efforts. When the bell rang, Nico was almost disappointed. 

Sitting through the second half of the day, Nico once again questioned how entertaining school could be for Karolina. She almost wished she could pop in her headphones to listen to her commentary. Anything to relieve the coma-inducing lessons. Nico slouched in her seat, staring at her backpack more often than not and wondering if the risk of taking out the DS was worth it. She decided against it by the time the bell signaled the end for the two classes right after lunch. As she slouched into her last class of the day, sending a nod to Chase, her resolve almost crumbled.

“And history! Why do you guys fight so many wars against each other?” Karolina was saying as Nico sat down. 

“Men in power have nothing better to do,” Nico mumbled. She hoped all this talking to herself wasn’t making her seem crazier than everyone already thought she was. It was probably a good thing she was content to listen to Karolina babble about what she thought was most interesting about the class they just left. It was helping her get something out of the lessons. Maybe not what the teacher wanted her to, but it was hilarious listening to Karolina’s alien take on how Earth’s schools were run and the material they taught.

Nico groaned when Mr. Baker walked in, calling the class into order. With great reluctance, she muttered a goodbye to Karolina and removed her headphones. English at the end of the day had to be a special kind of torture. Nico always spent the last twenty minutes staring at the clock, willing it to move faster. Even when she didn’t have an alien in her DS. She rubbed her thumb along the edge of it as she started to put it in her bag. A glance at the binder on her desk put a very bad idea in her head. It would make a pretty good hiding place. Surely she could surreptitiously watch for Karolina’s messages if she positioned it just right.

She decided to do so just as Mr. Baker pulled up his powerpoint for the day. “Flash if you have anything interesting to add,” she whispered as the lecture on  _ Grapes of Wrath _ began. She hadn’t done yesterday’s reading. She was busy chasing Karolina across L.A. Not that she was likely to read it regardless.

Throughout the hour, Nico found herself blinking awake over and over. Mr. Baker’s words pierced her fog, but he could have been speaking German for all she understood. She tried to keep her eyes and drooping lids on him, but her gaze kept sliding back to her hidden DS. She wished Karolina would chime in. Break the cycle of drifting off, startling awake, drifting off, startling awake. Yawning occasionally.

Finally, she decided enough was enough. She wasn’t getting anything out of this lecture. Blindly, she reached down into her bag and searched for her headphones. Keeping her most attentive gaze thus far on Mr. Baker, she pulled them out and started untangling them in her lap. He never so much as glanced her way, even when she surreptitiously placed one bud in her ear. She waited until Mr. Baker’s back was turned as he was writing on the board to plug them into the DS. 

She misjudged the timing. He turned around just as she was sliding the DS back into it’s hiding place. His eyes narrowed, scanning over the rows of desks as though he could smell her attempts at slacking off. Which was of course ridiculous. Until his gaze landed on her. She yanked out her headphones as casually as she could manage.

“Nico. Will you tell me how and when Tom Joad meets Jim Casy?” Nico scowled at her desk, having no clue how to answer. Mr. Baker’s footsteps were a precursor to his approach. “Maybe if I take that device you’ll be able to pay attention better.”

“No!” Nico almost leaped out of her chair. She lifted her scowl to pierce Mr. Baker with it.

“You’ll get it back at the end of class.” Everyone was staring now. She resisted the urge to look around at them, knowing it could break her resolve. She could almost picture Chase’s big eyes pleading with her to just go along with what the adults wanted for once. This was different, though. It wasn’t defiance for defiance’s sake. This was about protecting Karolina, who she never should have put in this kind of danger in the first place. Her heart raced in her chest as she desperately tried to think of something to save herself.

“I said no.” Idiot! She was too panicked to think of anything better to say, and it was just making everything worse. By the shock in Mr. Baker’s face, Nico was only escalating the situation.

“Don’t cause a scene. You’re here to learn, not play games. It’s just twenty minutes,” he said with a glance at the clock.

“You don’t have the right to take my property.” And now she was echoing Gert. Well, direct confrontation wasn’t Nico’s style. She may as well channel someone who was an expert.

“Alright, that’s enough.” Mr. Baker flipped open her binder so the DS was in plain sight. “As long as it’s a distraction in my classroom, I do have the right.” He took it, winding the headphones about it. “As I said, you’ll get it back at the end of class.” 

Nico leaped to her feet as he walked to his desk. “Stay put! Don’t do anything,” she yelled. Whispers broke out amongst her classmates, and Mr. Baker turned on her. 

“How many times do I have to say enough is enough?” Nico wasn’t going to back down. She’d already hurled herself off a cliff. How was he supposed to know she wasn’t talking to him? “You’re going to detention after school. I’ll walk you there myself.” That prompted oohs and gasps from her classmates. In the corner of her eye, Chase facepalmed. What’s done was done, though, and Nico finally fell back into her seat.

She sat through the last half of the lesson fuming, taking in even less of it than before. When her skin prickled from being stared at she whipped her glare at whoever was looking at her. They always looked away before she could catch them, except for Chase. He mouthed something at her when she turned to glare at him. She thought it might have been  _ what the fuck? _ or  _ what was that? _ She shrugged. He was the only one she backed down from first. Letting her anger get the better of her probably wasn’t the best thing to do.

It was only when the bell rang did Nico calm down enough to let worry flood in where anger once swirled. She froze halfway through packing up. Karolina didn’t sunbathe that morning. Who was to say how long she could last in the DS. And Nico had gone and bought her an extra hour of imprisonment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp sorry it's a day late. at least youll have less wait until the next update...especially with that cliffhanger. thanks for reading all, let me know what you think!


	6. Chapter 6

Despite her rough and tumble anti-authority veneer, Nico had never actually been sent to detention. She guessed it was because everyone felt bad for her and kept to their path of eggshells. After three years, that patience finally ran out.

Nico twisted a ring around her finger over and over again. She ignored the chafing it caused. She was bored enough to find even  _ Grapes of Wrath  _ interesting. The instant she and the other delinquents stepped through the door, Ms. Tezuka held out a plastic bin to each of them. Some of the returners knew the drill so well they were almost bored as they placed their phones in the bin. Nico’s hands balled into fists when it was her turn, reluctant to give up yet another one of her belongings.

“You’ll get it back at the end of detention,” Ms. Tezuka said. “As for the device Mr. Baker confiscated, I’m afraid your parents will have to come in to pick it up since it was so much of an issue.” Nico ground her teeth but tossed her phone in the bin. She nearly ran to a seat, unable to stand anywhere near the principal. It was her policies that caused all of this. Nico’s anger had to be focused on something.

She jumped as something landed on her desk. The ring on her finger almost went flying, but Nico jammed it back on. It made a quiet thunk, and Ms. Tezuka raised her nose from her work to see what broke the otherwise absolute silence. Nico lunged for the paper, covering it with her hand before she could see anything. When her attention was back on whatever paperwork she was doing, Nico unfolded the paper with as much care as she could. 

_ She’ll get drawn away by something or another in a bit. Then we can talk. _

To her left, Alex gave her a tiny wave, little more than a flick of his fingers. She recognized his terrible handwriting. 

That had been another surprise walking into detention. There were one or two kids she didn’t recognize, but detention was mostly populated by her friends. Everyone was there except Molly. While part of Nico itched to know what the hell everyone was up to, the rest of her was too nervous about Karolina to give much energy to any guesses. 

Not even five minutes after Alex passed his note, the phone on the desk rang. Ms. Tezuka answered it absently and listened for a few minutes before hanging up. She looked over the students she was supervising. Before Nico could even guess what she was trying to decide, she stood up.

“I have some business to take care of in the office. I trust you all not to get yourselves into more trouble until I get back,” she said. The sternness in her face made even Nico want to promise obedience. No one made a peep. Ms. Tezuka was satisfied with the lack of an answer, and she gathered up a binder before dashing out of the room.

The instant she left Nico’s friends started moving. Every person here had to sit at separate tables while supervised. Without any, they converged on Nico.

“What are you all doing here?” She asked, hoping to stave off the inevitable avalanche of questions.

“Chase was nearly pummeled,” Gert said. He certainly was worse for wear holding an ice pack against his eye. “He managed to get into a fight in the five minutes between the last bell and being hauled into the detention room by Coach Alphona.” Nico was almost impressed. “I was trying to stop them from being cavemen and got caught up in the punishment.”

“The real cavemen are those guys who were making fun of you,” Chase said.

“You did throw the first punch.”

“I see your fists stayed right at your side.” Gert hid her hands beneath the table as Chase nodded at them. She wasn’t quick enough to hide her scraped knuckles.

“Good going, guys,” Alex said.

“You’re here too, Wilder,” Chase said. Alex pushed his glasses up his nose.

“Completely unjustified. I was just borrowing some equipment. They wouldn’t have even noticed it was gone. Besides, this punishment is from two weeks ago.”

“Clearly they did,” Nico drawled.

“Ok but we’re all ignoring the real question. How did  _ you  _ manage to get detention?” Gert asked, staring intently at Nico. Almost everyone was aware of the unofficial agreement the faculty had to give Nico a break. Of course, her friends were curious as to what caused them to finally snap.

“I want to know what the hell all that was,” Chase said. Nico grimaced. She’d forgotten Chase witnessed it all. She wouldn’t be able to lie her way out of it even if she could think of something convincing around all the worry in her head.

“It was nothing,” Nico insisted. She couldn’t stop her knee from bouncing. Karolina was in real trouble, and here she was just sitting around letting things get worse for her. 

“Doesn’t look like nothing, spaz.” Alex nudged her shoulder with his. “What’s going on?”

“They took my DS,” Nico said through gritted teeth. She wished she could take the words back as her friends all shared a glance with each other like she was nuts.

“She had an argument with Mr. Baker about it,” Chase said, clarifying for Alex and Gert why she was here.

“Well, you’ll get it back tomorrow,” Gert said. “What’s the big deal?” Nico froze. She couldn’t tell her friends the real reason. The more people knew, the more danger Karolina was in. Having half the conspiracy theorists in L.A. on her case didn’t help. Nico was sure the news report was enough to prompt interest in her case from enough of the crazies.

“I can’t—” she cut herself off as a lie came to her head. “It’s not about the DS. It’s about what’s in the DS.” She glanced over her shoulder at the other kids in the room. They weren’t paying them any attention, their phones were back in their hands. She still leaned in to whisper. “Amy’s version of  _ Animal Crossing  _ is in there.” 

“Oh no,” Gert muttered. All three exchanged looks of concern. Nico brushed off the feeling she just made her social problems worse. There were other priorities right now. But maybe there was a way to play it to her advantage

“I have to get it back myself. If my parents found out I was in trouble they’d explode, and ten times worse if they knew I was taking Amy’s stuff,” she said.

“No sweat. We’ll help,” Chase said immediately. Alex and Gert nodded their agreement. Nico’s heart swelled at their instant support. Her stomach only churned a little bit about lying, she was so overwhelmed by relief. 

“We’ll need a plan, then. Does anyone have any ideas?”

* * *

Nico rocked on her heels impatiently as she waited by the athletic entrance for her friends to arrive. She may have jumped the gun a bit, arriving almost half an hour before they agreed to meet. It was almost five, though, and there was still no sign of anyone. She hoped she was in the right place.

“Nico!” She jumped out of her skin when someone grabbed her by the wrist. She tried to break their grip and only succeeded in wrenching her arm around. They were far too strong. She turned, opening her mouth to defend her presence only to lose any words when presented with a pink hat pulled down over her assailant’s eyes.

“What are you doing here, Molly?” She hissed, recognizing her friend even under her disguise.

“I told you that wouldn’t work,” Gert said. Molly frowned but flipped her mask up so it just a hat.

“I want to help,” she said. Nico glanced at Gert who shrugged.

“I couldn’t shake her.”

“She shouldn’t be here.”

“ _ She’s _ standing right in front of you.” Molly crossed her arms with a huff. Nico rolled her eyes. One more person to get them caught. “I can help, I swear!” 

“You can be the lookout,” Nico said. They could never have too much warning if someone was coming. Molly clenched her fists and pursed her lips like she was about to protest when Chase and Alex rounded the corner from the other direction.

“Why are you here?” Alex asked Molly.

“Extra lookout,” Nico said before Molly could get huffy. She appreciated the support, but she was too stressed to curb her tongue. If this worked, she’d owe everyone more thanks than she’d ever shown them. They just had to pull it off first. “We’re wasting time, let's go.”

“Here, Molly.” Alex dug a walkie talkie out of his bag. Service in the school was spotty, they couldn’t depend on their phones. Plus Nico was sure he thought it was cooler using walkie talkies. “Channel eleven. Call if you see anyone pull up in the staff parking lot. Everyone should be home, but just in case.” Molly scowled as she took the device. She didn’t protest, and Nico hoped that meant she would do her job.

“Coach Alphona always leaves the athletic entrance unlocked in case anyone wants to get some extra time with the equipment,” Chase said. He tried the door, and just as he claimed it was unlocked. Nico couldn’t help a sigh of relief. She didn’t know how they would get in if this failed.

“Let’s do this,” Nico said, leading the way inside.

Even though the school was empty, they stuck to the edges of the hallways, ready to duck into a classroom at the first sign of someone coming. If they weren’t locked. Alex peered around every corner they came to with as much care as the last. Nico waited impatiently until he gave the all-clear. She hated the time they wasted standing still when they could have been nearly at Ms. Tezuka’s office by now. Getting caught would have been bad, she admitted that much. But because it wasn’t a current obstacle, her annoyance nearly overpowered her desire for caution. Even the eeriness of being in school when it was dead silent didn’t get to her nearly as much as her fear for Karolina. She desperately hoped they wouldn’t be too late to keep her from being discovered. She didn’t want to think about the alternative or the possible complications to the plan. She hadn’t figured out how she was going to keep her friends in the dark if Karolina couldn’t stay hidden.

“The office is just ahead,” Alex whispered. “Everyone remembers what you’re jobs are?” 

“Yup.” Chase adjusted the radio on his hip. “I’ll head to the other end of the hall and radio if there’s trouble. Radio when you’re done.”

“Here.” Gert pressed something small into Nico’s hand. “Good luck.” She was going to stay on this end of the hall to keep watch while Alex and Nico went in to search the office. Nico clutched the small object, feeling metal bite into her palm. She had no idea where Gert got a copy of the school’s master key, and she wasn’t going to ask. If it helped their rescue mission, Nico would set aside any question she had.

Nico and Alex slipped into the office. It was a small miracle the key worked. Gert came through. They ignored the receptionist's desk and all the other offices, heading straight to the door with Ms. Tezuka’s name on it. Again, the key got them through, and they stood in the doorway. It suddenly dawned on Nico how daunting this task was. Alex was similarly frozen beside her.

“Start with the desk?” He suggested, regaining his wits before Nico.

“Yeah.” She nodded and stepped forward, half expecting there to be some kind of alarm at their presence. All was silent. 

They set upon the desk like piranhas on a carcass. Alex rifled through the papers on the surface while Nico went for the drawers. She yanked them open, not bringing herself to care about leaving a trace. The drawers were a mess, it was unlikely Ms. Tezuka would notice anything out of place.

“Can you believe she just leaves her passwords on a sticky note right on her screen like this?” Alex asked. Nico barely spared him a glance. “Not like the system is hard to hack, but still. Careless.”

“Not everyone has a master key,” Nico pointed out, pulling open her third drawer. Her heart nearly stopped in relief. There it was! Her DS was sitting on top of a pile of folders, headphones still wrapped around it. “Got it!” She wished there was a way to check if Karolina was still inside. She supposed it would be all over the news if she wasn’t.

Nico was just opening her bag when the power light flashed green. So Karolina was still in there! She glanced at Alex, who was busy with studying the post-it full of passwords. He wasn’t paying any attention to her.

“Sorry about that. I’ve got you now,” she whispered. The light flashed again, for longer this time. “What—” she didn’t get a chance to complete her sentence, because she was blinded by a flash of rainbow light. Alex yelled and jumped away from the desk. Nico went numb with fear as Karolina appeared in the middle of the room. She only glowed for a few seconds before it faded away entirely. She fell against the desk, unable to support herself. Nico rushed to her side.

“You got here just in time,” Karolina said. “I had no idea how I was supposed to get out of here on my own, aside from waiting for everyone to leave and hoping for the best.”

“Are you ok?” Nico started checking for any kind of damage. Who knew how Karolina would be affected by being locked in a device for so long. She didn’t appear harmed on the surface, aside from her physical weakness. Even as they stood there, Karolina regained her balance.

“What the hell?” Alex was backed up against the far wall. Nico noticed him for the first time since Karolina’s appearance.

“Uh oh,” Karolina said. Nico squeezed her shoulder comfortingly.

“We’ll explain later. Let’s just get out of here.” She half ran to the door, pulling Karolina behind her by the hand. She stayed solid as a rock, staring down Alex as hard as he was staring at her. Nico glanced down at Karolina’s free hand. It was ever so faintly glowing. Nico squeezed her tightly enough to crush bone. “Karolina, he’s fine. We need to go.”

Karolina finally let her glow fade and she stopped glaring at Alex to look at Nico. Her shoulders slumped in relief as though finally realizing she was fine. She squeezed Nico back and followed her out the door.

Alex stayed where he was, mouth agape. Nico rolled her eyes. She did not have time to deal with this posturing. “Are you coming? I’ll lock you in here if you aren’t. Don’t think I won’t.” That got his butt moving. 

Rushing out took less time than getting in. Nico barely stopped to lock the doors behind them while Alex radioed Chase to come back.

“Am I going crazy or did we only have four of us on the way in,” Gert said when they were all back together. She narrowed her eyes at Karolina. “Did they lock you in the office? That is so unethical.”

“I’ve never seen you before,” Chase said, regarding Karolina with more suspicion than Gert. 

“I’ve never seen  _ you  _ before.” Karolina gaped, first at him, then Nico. People were learning about her at an alarming rate.

“It’s definitely weirder than you think,” Alex said. He held his hands out defensively as Nico shot him a glare. He was making this worse than it had to be.

“Again, the sooner we get out of here, the better.” Nico started herding her friends back the way they came, sticking as close to Karolina as she could.

“We need to talk about what happened back there!” Alex hissed. At least he had the sense to keep his voice down in case anyone else was still here.

“Then we’ll go back to your place. The guest house is private. I swear, we’ll explain everything. Just not right now.” Gert and Chase had identical lost expressions. Alex fiddled with his glasses, not satisfied with the solution. It would have to do. Nico wasn’t about to come this far only to be caught on the way out. She just hoped her friends were smart enough to realize what they should prioritize at that moment.


	7. Chapter 7

“So, do you want to tell us what exactly is going on, or are we going to have to drag it out of you,” Alex said. He stood with his arms crossed, staring down at Nico as though a jury found her guilty. He refused to acknowledge Karolina, who was sitting on the couch next to Molly.

The drive back to his house had been awkward at best. Alex was a ball of suspicion, as he usually was when his protective instincts flared up. Nico was glad they split up — boys in one car, girls in the other. She and Karolina sat in the back of Gert’s car. Nico worried when Karolina stepped into direct sunlight, but Karolina shook her head to reassure her. She was ok, for now. Good thing, too. If this was how Nico’s friends were reacting to a random stranger, she didn’t know what would happen if that stranger glowed. 

“It was Karolina, right?” Molly asked as soon as they got in the car. Karolina looked nervously to Nico, who shrugged. “Where do you go to school?”

“I, uh, don’t go to school,” Karolina said.

“Really? Then what do you do all day? Isn’t it the law that you have to go to school? Isn’t it, Gert?”

“Quiet, Molly,” Gert snapped. Molly huffed and crossed her arms, sinking so deep into her seat she had to pull the seat belt away from her throat.

Nico made eye contact with Gert in the rearview mirror. Gert’s eyes were ablaze, glare directed at Karolina. Nico wanted to put her head in her hands. Of course she would be suspicious, especially with the way Nico handled Karolina’s introduction. She brought this on them.

They rode the rest of the way in silence, heavy with Molly’s sulking. Nico felt bad for her but didn’t know what she could do. Karolina at least gave her a comforting smile before Gert snapped at her to face frontwards. 

Sneaking back to the guesthouse proved to be no challenge since Alex’s parents weren’t home. Gert, Chase, and Alex immediately rounded on Nico.

“What the hell was all that?”

“Where did you find a random girl?”

“You barely like me. Why do you like her when none of us have ever heard of her?” 

Nico dug her heels in as they badgered her with questions. It would only make things worse, but instincts were powerful things. 

“Am I a criminal now?” She asked. “Is that what we’re doing here? Guantanamo Bay?”

“What’s she doing here?” Gert ignored her completely, jerking her head at Karolina, whose eyes widened at the attention swinging to her. “We’re just going to let some girl we don’t know who Alex says came from nowhere in on our group?”

“Not so sure I trust this either,” Chase said. Nico could only imagine what kind of fearmongering Alex subjected him to in the car. Sure, he was hostile back at the school. But now he was cranked up to eleven when previously he’d only been at a four. She wished they could have explained without letting suspicion fester, but they were too exposed at the school. Things were bad enough as it was without practically inviting eavesdroppers.

“It’s four to one that she leaves,” Alex said.

“Wait, you didn’t even ask our opinions!” Molly protested.

“And Karolina doesn’t get one? Harsh,” Nico said.

“What do you mean, Molly?” Gert asked. “What opinion?” The hostility turned on Molly. She grimaced, hunching her shoulders like she wished she never spoke up.

“I don’t know, guys,” she said, voice small. “She’s nice.” That set the others to jabbering all at once

“Nice? Nice?!”

“—could be some kind of spy thing—”

“—us into trouble. You’re so naive.”

“Guys!” Nico shouted above the noise. “I thought we were friends? Why are you attacking Molly?” The other’s protests died, though they exchanged looks with each other that set off alarm bells in Nico’s head.

“I think she should stay,” Molly said, not cowed by the older kids. “They’ll explain better if they’re together, anyway.” Nico could have hugged her when Gert tapped her chin thoughtfully.

“That’s true,” Gert said. “Plus this yelling isn’t getting us anywhere.”

“She stays,” Chase said with a sense of definitiveness. “Now, I’m dying here. Explain, please.”

Nico looked to Karolina for permission. “Should I tell them or you?”

“They’ll take it better from you,” Karolina said. “Don’t hold back.” Nico took a deep breath. Where to begin?

“So Karolina’s an alien.” From the flinch her friends made, that probably wasn’t the best place. “From space. She’s a refugee.” Every word was just making things worse. “I’ve been hiding her for a couple of weeks now since any amount of exposure could bring terrifying warmongering aliens to Earth in search of her. And they’ll destroy anything that gets in their way.” 

“She’s not exaggerating,” Karolina said.

“That’s insane,” Alex said. “There is no way—uh, what are you doing?” Karolina leaped off the couch. Even Nico wanted to take a step back. She held up her hands, the backs facing her audience.

“You want proof?” She asked. Her face scrunched up in concentration, and slowly her hands began to glow. Nico’s eyes bulged along with the rest of her friends. She didn’t know Karolina could control how much of her glowed.

“Awesome!” Molly said. Karolina slowly lowered her hands once everyone had gotten a good look. They faded back to human color.

“We cold?” Karolina asked.

“Cool. We’re cool,” Nico answered for the group.

“What in the…” Chase trailed off. He looked at Karolina like she was going to grow a second head next.

“You’re not...dangerous, are you?” Gert asked.

“I can be.” A shadow crossed Karolina’s face as if daring her audience to assail her. “But no. I don’t mean you any harm. I promise.”

“Wait a second.” Chase narrowed his eyes. “That flying glowing thing on the news. Was that you?”

“Yes.” Chase shook his head, directing betrayed disbelief at Nico.

“And you were so adamant it was a hoax.”

“Ok, I don’t know how you guys are being so chill right now,” Alex interrupted. “Because there is a legit alien in my guesthouse. What do we do with it?”

“Her,” Gert and Nico said simultaneously. Gert flushed a little, as though even she wasn’t expecting to leap to Karolina’s defense so quickly. She shrugged and stared at the floor when everyone turned to her. “It’s a reflex.”

“How do we know she is telling the truth?” Alex didn’t ease up on the cynicism, though at least he was treating Karolina like a person now.

“Because it’s been weeks and there’s been no sign of an invasion,” Nico said. Alex’s dour expression conveyed his doubt. He wasn’t convinced by her words, so Karolina spoke up.

“Please, I’ve seen your Earth. We can literally infiltrate and destroy your electronics. We could have conquered you in like a day. You’re safe as long as the rest of my people don’t know you exist.” Alex’s eye twitched at the thought of a threat to his precious electronics. He grabbed his chin in one hand.

“Interesting.” Nico rolled her eyes. All Karolina had to do was mention computers and suddenly he was on her side.

“So just to be clear, we’re not exposing her?” Chase asked.

“Nope,” Gert said. She raised an eyebrow at Nico. “I’m surprised you could keep this a secret by yourself. Probably only because you never talk to anyone.”

“I’m talking to you now.” Nico grit her teeth to keep civility.

“I’m glad you get to stay,” Molly said to Karolina, a huge grin splitting her face. “We’ll protect you. Don’t worry about a thing.”

“Six minds are better than two,” Alex said. Nico was thrilled he was pushing past his reluctance. All they had to do was redirect his energy. She understood the feeling. Aside from her, he was the closest of all of them to Amy. Even with people they knew, he was hesitant to add anyone to the group. It was too much like replacing Amy. Nico was sure he would come around once he realized Karolina was her own person. “Probably even more so that more of us are familiar with this planet. You don’t exactly blend in, even when you don’t glow.”

“How many languages do you speak again?” Karolina asked. “You’re right, though. Even you have to admit that, Nico.”

“Hiding you certainly hasn’t been easy,” Nico said.

“So we need a new plan then. Anyone have any suggestions?” Chase asked, drawing everyone’s stares. “What? I’m not the idea guy.”

“So you want us to do all the thinking,” Alex said.

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“It doesn’t seem like staying hidden is the issue here,” Gert said, staving off another argument. “I mean, no one would guess you’re anything other than an ordinary, if completely gorgeous, girl. What happened when you were caught the other day?” Karolina had the decency to shuffle her feet.

“I got bored.” Nico stared at the pretty blush on her cheeks. “I literally hadn’t left Nico’s room since I crashed until then.”

“We never thought that was a permanent solution,” Nico said quickly. Their plan sounded moronic now they were telling her friends it.

“It would be a dumb one,” Molly agreed.

“Nico! Even the Geneva Conventions ban solitary confinement,” Gert cried.

“It wasn’t solitary! Not entirely.” 

“You still have to hide, though.” Alex bulldozed past them. There was an idea in his eyes, and knowing him it had been there for a while. “What better way to do that than in plain sight?”

“In case you missed it, she’s an alien who glows,” Chase said dryly.

“Not all the time, though. What influences it?” He turned to Karolina.

“The sun. The more exposure I get, the more I glow. That’s why I couldn’t stay in the DS indefinitely.”

“If you can learn to control that...” Alex trailed off. “Let me think for a second.”

“Are you suggesting she just lives like a person?” Gert asked.

“Basically, yeah.” Alex nodded. “We could get your papers and everything. That way you could go to school and get a job and not have to live under Nico’s bed forever.” His words were laced with jealousy only Nico heard.

“You’d do that for me?” Karolina’s eyes were wide.

“Nico seems pretty invested.” Chase shot her a cheeky grin. Nico wanted to hit him.

“And we should be too. Remember what she said about the warmongering aliens destroying everything in their path?” The room sobered at Molly’s comment. It certainly wasn’t pleasant to think about the consequences of their failure. All the more reason to get this right. As if protecting Karolina wasn’t motivation enough.

“It’s getting late,” Chase said, changing the topic suddenly. “My parents will want me home soon.” 

“Same here,” Gert added. “We won’t get anything done tonight.”

“Everyone should come back here tomorrow with ideas. Then we can hash out our plan.” Alex looked in Karolina’s direction, though not directly at her. “You can stay here tonight. No one ever comes out here, and you’ll have the whole place to yourself.” Everyone started in surprise. Alex was the last person they expected to make such an offer. “What? The more she comes and goes, the more exposed she is.”

“Thanks, Alex.” Karolina gave him a genuine smile. Nico couldn’t bring herself to be happy Alex finally came around. A deep frown etched itself into her face almost unconsciously. One look at her made Karolina visibly upset. “Nico I owe you everything. I don’t want to put you out more than I already have.”

“Plus Alex has a point,” Gert said.

“Yeah. A change of scenery should be nice.” Nico shook herself out of the slump. She had no idea what came over her but was determined to squash it down. Karolina’s smile told her she was a good enough liar. Nico didn’t want to think about what it meant that she had to lie. “Thanks for letting us all get out of here ok.”

“Of course. Sorry it got a little dicey earlier.” She was referring to Ms. Tezuka’s office.

Nico shrugged. “I wasn’t worried.” She ignored her friends confused glances.

They all said their goodbyes, Nico more reluctantly than most. She left with assurances from Karolina herself that the guesthouse was more than adequate along with repeating in her head that she would see Karolina in just a few hours. 

“I’m just going to call a Lyft,” she said, gesturing with her phone in her hand when Gert offered her a ride.

“Suit yourself,” Gert said with a shrug.

“I’ll wait with you,” Chase said as she drove away.

“It’s Brentwood,” Nico said flatly. “I’m on the porch.”

“Still.” Chase rocked on his heels, hands in his pockets. They lapsed into silence, though Nico could tell Chase was brimming with something he wanted to say. 

“Haven’t seen you care this much about someone else since Amy,” he blurted out finally. Nico froze, alarm bells ringing in her head at the accuracy of his statement. It was terrifying to think that she started to care for Karolina so much in such a short amount of time. Even worse, Chase was peering at her intently, watching what she was sure was a complete projection of her thoughts on her face.

“It’s just been really intense,” she sputtered. “I’ve barely stopped to think, so far.”

“You’re cool.” Chase held up one hand to stop her. “Just be careful, ok? Don’t invest too much before you’re sure things are going to work out.” 

Nico bit back a snarky comment on how he followed his own advice so well when it came to Gert. He was just looking out for her. Deep down, even she could appreciate it. She leaned her head against his shoulder briefly.

“My ride’s here.” She pulled away. They said no farewells beyond that, but she could feel Chase’s knowing gaze on her the whole way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ho boy, sorry about that wait guys. updates will be less regular, but don't lose hope! I'm still writing.
> 
> Thank you all for your feedback, it makes my day when i see you interacting with this fic. hope you enjoyed this chapter where the squad is finally on the same page!


	8. Chapter 8

Nico did not sleep well that night. Her arms kept getting in the way of comfort, or her blankets were too hot, or her back became insatiably itchy just as she found a comfortable position. She tossed and turned and tangled herself in her sheets in an effort to fall asleep. It was hard to believe that after only a week of sleeping next to someone could change her habits so much. Something about not being able to hear Karolina’s gentle breathing or soft snuffles made her room empty and bleak. 

Which was another thing to keep her awake. Part of her restlessness was her mind throwing all the alarm bells it could, reacting to the sheer depth of her feelings toward Karolina. She was terrified that someone could encapsulate the majority of her waking moments, become so integral to her life in just a few weeks. Even her friends weren’t spared this much angst, part of her defense against the pain that would come when she inevitably lost them.

She was torn between gratitude and fury at the sunrise. At least she didn’t have to try and fail to sleep any longer, even though her eyes and mouth were sandpaper. Eventually, her rumbling stomach and the light seeping through her curtains drove her from her bed to find some breakfast.

“Someone looks like they had a rough night.” Nico froze midstride. She lifted her squinting gaze from the floor and her stomach dropped. Robert was sitting at the kitchen table. He grinned at her over a mug of tea. Nico forced herself to keep her attention on him alone, quite difficult when the force that was Tina sat right next to him. She should have watched where she was going. If she did, she wouldn’t have walked into this ambush.

“Stayed up late doing homework.” Her voice was but a rasp, and her dad slid a second mug in front of her seat. Nico padded over and took the mug, not the seat. If she was going to have to duke it out, she may as well be able to speak. She drank with barely a regard for scalding her tongue.

“Well, I’m glad that your new friend isn’t distracting you from your studies,” Tina said. It was as though a nuclear bomb went off just then. She clamped down, biting her tongue and tightening her grip on her mug. If she didn’t speak, she couldn’t implicate herself. “Please, we saw her on the cameras.” Damn. They’d been so careful, too. 

“It’s not like you to step outside your social circle,” Robert said. “We’re glad you’re making new friends, though.” Always with the “we”. Her parents presented a united front at all times, no matter the strife between them. It made for an effective business partnership and solid interrogations. Nico would be sweating as much as one of their unfortunate corporate enemies had she not grown up faced with such pressure. 

“New friends we know nothing about.” Tina’s face was an even harder glare than usual. That told Nico that they found frustratingly little information from more channels than just her. “That no one knows anything about. She wasn’t even a blip on a full background check.” 

Nico tamped down her fury. She knew her parents to be invasive, but at least she was their daughter. The fact that Tina at least performed a full background check on a stranger was beyond insane. She didn’t have to question how thorough a search it was — her parent’s company gave them access to high places. She wouldn’t have been surprised if their search included government databases.

“We should have asked you about her,” Robert said with a firm look at Tina, “but now that we’ve done some research, she does seem a little odd.”

“Of course nothing would come up if you searched for her,” Nico blurted out. She cursed her tiredness. This would be so much easier if she was rested. Not that it would be easy, though she wouldn’t be scrambling at every turn. “She’s a refugee.” She fought the urge to slam her head into a wall. What a terrible lie! One she was committed to now. At least it was partially based on the truth.

“From where?” Tina’s arched eyebrow said all Nico needed to hear. She didn’t believe one word of what she said.

“Eastern Europe.” Not too specific, but still plausible. Her parents never heard Karolina speak. They couldn’t analyze her accent. A sudden surge of anger swelled up in her. “Why do you always have to stick your nose in places you don’t belong? She’s had a hard enough time without everyone questioning her at every turn.” Whatever bit of logic she managed to hang on to thus far was completely drowned out by her need to protect Karolina. Knowing her parents, they would dig and dig until disaster struck, which was the last thing Karolina needed.

The look her parents shared did not go over Nico’s head, even in her passion. They could communicate with but a glance, even after all their marriage troubles. What they didn’t count on was Nico being able to read them just as well. Suspicion and excitement passed between them, though she had not the capacity to analyze what that meant.

“Obviously, we want to meet this girl,” Tina said. “Make sure she’s alright for you to be around.” 

Nico was too relieved she let her anger slide at the attempt at controlling her further. As long as this was where the conversation died, she had to be content. Even if it was a little suspicious they let it go this easily. There must be something else that was going on, something big.

But her parents were altogether pleasant for the rest of the morning. Even under Nico’s most suspicious stares, she couldn’t see any hint of what was distracting them. It made her coil like a furious spring. She was back to being fully agitated by the time she left for school.

Nico’s mood plummeted again when she sat down at lunch. Her friends stared at her in a way that made her skin crawl.

“What?” She snapped.

“Chase has been dangling something over us for ages.” Molly ignored Nico as soon as she sat down, drilling into Chase instead. Nico carefully slid on to the bench next to her, trying to keep her platform boots from kicking anyone in the shins.

“I wanted to wait until we were all here,” Chase said.

“We are, now tell us, Stein.” Alex leaned forward in his seat.

“Not everyone,” Nico said. “You brought her, didn’t you?” Alex frowned. He reached into his bag, searching for far too long in what Nico knew to be a meticulously organized pocket. Slowly, he brought out Nico’s DS and placed it in the center of the table.

“Now will you tell us?” Karolina’s voice came from the device, thin through the poor speakers. At least it was enough for them all to hear her if they were quiet. 

Chase leaned forward, mirroring Alex with his elbows on the table. He gestured for everyone else to close in. “My dad bought something from NASA. They think it’s alien and he wants to be the first to get ahold of that tech.”

“That’s impossible,” Nico said automatically. While it sounded like something Victor Stein would do, she didn’t want to believe it.

“Apparently not. They fished it out of the ocean and somehow he heard about it. I overheard him talking to my mom.” Nico froze. The whole damn Pacific wasn’t enough to hide Karolina’s pod. What hope did five teenagers have to hide the alien herself?

“Well, if we needed any confirmation that we are truly Brentwood kids, here it is.” Alex crossed his arms and slouched in his seat. “I can’t believe he outbid NASA.”

“This is very bad,” Karolina said. The power light on the DS flickered with her agitation. “Why do humans always have to draw attention to themselves?” 

“If Victor develops that technology there’s no way the Gibborim will overlook us.” Gert pushed her glasses up her nose, worry creasing her brow. Her hair blew into Chase’s face with the wind and neither of them noticed. Everyone at the table shifted in their seats, no doubt each imagining what the end of the world would be like.

“What do we do about it?” Molly asked, drawing four pairs of eyes. “We can’t just sit there and let things happen.”

“You have a better chance of lifting a car or flying than convincing my dad to give up on something,” Chase said. “He’ll just dig his teeth in harder, wanting to figure out the mystery.”

“It’s obvious, then,” Alex said, ignoring Molly muttering about how Karolina could fly and might take her for a ride if she asked nicely. He sat there as if his idea was shared by everyone. Nico couldn’t speak for her friends, but she was lost. When no one else spoke up, it became obvious that they were too. The roar of the other students’ conversations filled the silence, amplified by the walls around the courtyard.

“It’s not,” Nico said. Alex sighed in exaggerated exasperation.

“If the tech is really too dangerous to exist, maybe it shouldn’t. We need to fix that.”

“What, like destroy it?” Molly asked. Her eyes flashed and she grinned, already excited at the prospect of destruction.

“It’s the only way,” Alex said. “Karolina, does your ship have any kind of self destruct mechanisms?”

“Preferably one that won’t blow up my dad’s lab,” Chase added.

“I can make it de-materialize,” Karolina said. Alex nodded, a sharp bob of his head.

“Then that’s the plan. The sooner we get it done, the better.”

“Maybe this should be a stealth mission, with as few people as possible,” Nico said. Molly slumped against her, discouraged at losing the chance to smash stuff. Success was more important than individual feelings, though.

“It only has to be Karolina and me,” Chase said. “You can come home with me and we sneak down in the middle of the night. Quick and easy.”

“As long as you don’t mind staying in the nuclear waste site that is Chase’s bedroom,” Molly snorted. 

“It’s not that bad,” Gert said. She immediately flushed red, realizing how she exposed herself. Nico barely thought to pounce on the opportunity to tease her. Instead, a sour taste rose in her mouth at the thought of Karolina spending the night at Chase’s. For some reason, it was different when she was at Alex’s. Maybe it was because she was in a separate building. Or maybe now was the first time Nico recognized the emotion coursing through her. Jealousy. Which was ridiculous. This was all out of necessity. She didn’t have a monopoly on Karolina’s company.

Still, when Karolina agreed to the plan and the DS was handed off to Chase, Nico stomped away from the table a little harder than she had to. It meant nothing. Chase was with Gert. Karolina was an alien. 

Even with all those reassurances, Nico was in a foul mood for the rest of the day.

* * *

“Ok, the coast is clear.” At Chase’s signal, Karolina popped out of the DS. She landed on a table full of instruments, knocking things over with a great clatter. Both she and Chase winced as the racket went on for an eternity. It took even longer for the echoes to fade.

“Oops.” Karolina hopped off the worktable, knocking a few more things around. She hoped she didn’t break anything.

“Well, it’s not like it looks any worse than it did before,” Chase said. The despair on his face did little to add to his comforting words. They were already off to a great start.

Karolina didn’t stay chagrined for long. “My pod!” She rushed over to the twisted hump as soon as she spotted it. Earth’s atmosphere hadn’t been kind to it upon entry, and it had a few missing panels that spoke of curious minds already having at it. But it was still the recognizable Majesdainian design, all sleek curves and shiny metal. At least, shiny where it wasn’t dented or scorched. To her, it was a sucker-punch reminder of home. Chase stared at it with wide eyes.

“It looks like your dad already started stripping it,” Karolina said.

“I can look for things he might have taken,” Chase said. He surveyed the mess of the lab. “Though no promises I’ll find anything.”

“We can deal with that after I get the ship destroyed. There’s a way I can find what’s Gibborim in nature, but I’d rather leave that as a last resort.” Karolina found the mangled door that was only halfway open. There was still a big enough gap for her to slip through. “I’ll just be a second.” She wriggled her way into the ship.

Inside was an even bigger disaster than the exterior. It smelled horrible, like rot and salt, and straggly green things were caught on the jagged breaks in the walls. Wires sprouted from places that were once seamless and Karolina had to practically wade through debris. She was lucky the ship wasn’t that big. It was one control room and a short corridor to the exit. 

She fought her way to the control room, brushing rubble off the remains of the control panel. Even being mostly useless at tech, Karolina could tell enough of it was salvageable that the de-materialization process should run smoothly. But as her hands hovered over the controls, she hesitated. The ship was in no state to fly. It was barely a state to be called a ship at all. The likelihood of repairing it was slim to none. And even with all that, Karolina couldn’t bring herself to destroy her last link to home. It almost broke her that the first sight of the pod was more alien than familiar. Useless and broken, the ship was still a symbol of her old life, and Karolina was frozen in the face of destroying it.

“You good in there?” Chase called out. His voice echoed from outside the ship. None of the sensors were working and it had to travel through the air rather than speakers.

“Great.” Karolina fought to keep her voice steady. “You should stand back.” She found the right controls. They were still intact, simple and sturdy as they were. The longer she drew this out the more painful it would be. And it was necessary if she was going to survive this place. Before she could talk herself out of it, Karolina slammed on the controls.

Around her, the ship started to fade from view as its atoms were broken down and released as individuals. The lab became more and more real until Karolina was suddenly standing in the same spot, yet there was no more ship.

“That was awesome!” Chase watched it all happen from a computer. His hands stilled on the keyboard at the distraction.

“I thought you were looking for tech,” Karolina said to stave off her tears.

“May as well see if my dad’s records are in better order than his lab,” Chase said. “He’s usually good about logging experiments and materials.”

“Any luck?”

“No. But there’s some weird stuff on here.”

“Weird how?” Karolina walked to him on shaky legs. She leaned over his shoulder, using the table as support.

“Well, it looks like the only thing connected to alien tech are files with a bunch of Wizard stamps on them,” Chase said. “That’s Nico’s parent’s company. Apparently, there was a big break in about three years ago. Someone went nuts and stole a bunch of files.” Something about the timing pinged in Karolina’s head, but a sick feeling in her stomach overwhelmed it.

“Chase, I—” Karolina was horrified as she broke off into a sob. She covered her mouth, hands brushing against cheeks wet from tears.

Immediately Chase’s arms were around her. Karolina couldn’t understand why she was crying. She didn’t cry when she left home. Not even on the long, long trip to Earth. Everything was bubbling up now, though. Karolina wasn’t strong enough to hold it back.

“It’s ok.” Chase rubbed Karolina’s arms to comfort her. “It’s ok. Just take a breather. I got your back.” 

Though shame rose to her cheeks, Karolina’s emotions spilled out with no regard for the image she wished to present. She cried for what felt like an hour until she was so exhausted that no more tears would come. Resting her cheek on Chase’s wet shoulder, her mind was blank. It was the alternative to embarrassment

“I’m sorry,” she said, voice clogged with snot. She hoped none of it got on Chase.

“What are teammates for?” He helped her stand on her own to regain at least a little dignity. “I’ve been told I’m very cathartic to cry to.”

“By who?”

“Gert, mostly. Molly and Alex, too. Though don’t tell Alex I told you.” The blood drained from Chase’s face.

“I won’t.” He exhaled and slumped in relief. 

“Ok. That’s enough for today, I think. Let’s get you to bed.”

As they rode the elevator out of the lab, Karolina could only think about how Chase left Nico off his list of people who have cried to him. With his listening and hugging skills, he was a natural type to turn to for comfort. For Nico to ignore his support made Karolina sad. That is until she remembered the first week of her time on Earth with Nico leaning against her like she was the only thing keeping her grounded. 

Karolina fell asleep to those sweet thoughts, though she couldn't analyze them whatsoever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whew, halfway through. thanks for reading all!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's better to lighten the mood and bring the team together than a beach day???

“Nico, if you’re going to just sit under an umbrella this whole time, why did we come to a beach?” Gert’s hands were planted on her fists, and even in the slippery sand, she managed a power stance. She loomed above an unbothered Nico, who sat on a towel spread over the sand next to Gert’s shaggy therapy dog Old Lace. After the lab excursion and the emotional devastation that followed, Chase suggested they take a break from worrying about extraterrestrial threats. No one hesitated to jump on his suggestion, even Alex. It was hard for him to argue against spending a day at the beach.

“I’m here, aren’t I?” Nico drawled. She wore sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat even in the shade, prompting several teasing remarks from Chase about her being a vampire. They made Karolina laugh, even though she sat under the umbrella with Nico. The less sun she got, the easier it was for her to maintain her human form, and the further away she was from the terrifying, frothing mass of water the better. In the daytime, it was no less scary, especially since Karolina was intimately familiar with the ocean’s deadly power. She couldn’t decide which was scarier, the waves or the Minorus.

“That’s like, the bare minimum,” Molly said. “You do you, but I’m going swimming. Chase, I’ll race you!” She tore off her coverup, barely pausing to toss it on her towel before stumbling off.

“Hey, that’s cheating!” Chase wrestled with his shirt.

“Go live up to your name, then,” Nico said. He went lurching off with Alex in tow.

Karolina kept a close eye on Molly as she barreled into the surf. Her momentum slowed drastically as soon as she reached her knees, yet she plowed onward. Karolina yelped when she disappeared under the water. Her heart only started up again when Molly’s head broke the surface, ten feet further out than she had been before going under. Chase and Alex threw themselves in with as much gusto.

“Humans play in that thing for fun?” Karolina asked, idly scratching Old Lace behind the ears the way Gert said she liked. Pets were in the top five greatest things about Earth and finding out Gert had a dog who’s entire job was to be calm and provide cuddles was a high point in Karolina’s stay here.

“Ok the first step to blending in is to not refer to us as humans,” Gert said. “And despite the dangers, it’s fun.”

“I take back what I said about Gibborim being able to conquer you in a day. You are truly disturbed.” Alex ambushed Chase from behind, pushing down on his shoulders to dunk him under the water. With Molly’s help, he managed it, all of them laughing hysterically.

“Shouldn’t you go to rescue your boyfriend?” Nico asked. Gert shrugged.

“If he dies, he dies.” She stared concernedly at the water, only relaxing when Chase resurfaced. “Karolina, if you’re afraid you should face it. I know your arrival was traumatic, we could try to help you with your fear.”

“Fear? What fear? I’m not afraid.” Both Gert and Nico’s faces morphed with skepticism. Karolina crossed her arms, as suddenly the sand was more interesting than her friends. “Fine. But only if Nico goes too.” She had no idea what made her say it, but she did know that Nico’s presence made her feel safe. Plus if anything did happen, Nico already proved she was equipped to deal with the consequences. She gave Nico her most pleading look.

“It is pretty hot,” Nico conceded. She scrambled to her feet. “Just to cool off for a bit.”

“Great.” Gert kicked off her sandals. “Old Lace, stay.” The dog wagged her tail, looking at Gert with pure love. It was highly amusing. 

“Great guard dog we have,” Nico said without menace.

Walking on the sand quickly had her taking gasping breaths, though Karolina enjoyed the feeling of it sliding between her toes. It was blindingly bright and warm from the sun, which beat down mercilessly. It would have been far too hot if not for the cool, salty breeze that gusted up the beach from the water. The only shade to be found was in umbrellas or buildings — there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Karolina squinted out over the glinting water, trying to spot her roughhousing friends.

The sand near the water was compact and easier to walk on. It was cool from the water saturating it. Waves rushed up the beach, bosting Karolina’s heartrate as they came close. She winced as the water came within inches of her feet. Gert walked right in with no hesitation.

Between the two of them, Gert and Nico managed to coax Karolina in up to her knees. The water was warmer than she remembered, but her feet and legs still went numb after a few minutes of being submerged. She hid her relief when Nico planted herself a few yards from the shore, declaring this was far enough to count. The current tugged at Karolina’s legs and she had to agree. It was almost strong enough to make her stagger. At least with Nico and Gert on either side of her, she was able to push down on enough of her fear to admit it was refreshing.

She turned to Gert to voice her thoughts just as two sopping wet arms wrapped around her shoulder from behind. Gert gasped as Chase’s hug soaked her. She clawed at his arms, trying to break free.

“It’s cold you jerk!” She cried. Chase held on despite her struggles, an enormous grin splitting his face.

“That’s why I need you to warm me up,” he said. Gert turned red and pointedly stared into the waves. She mumbled something too quiet for Karolina to understand. Chase’s face became even more lovestruck if it was possible.

“Hey, is anyone up for a game of volleyball?” Molly swam up and asked through chattering teeth. Though the water was only a foot deep she kept herself submerged up to the neck. “It’s freaking cold and I need to warm up.” Alex splashed up behind her, standing rather than laying in the water. Goosebumps rose on his skin.

“I call Molly on my team!” Chase cried.

“That’s not fair and you know it,” Gert said.

“You don’t have to play.”

“Don’t I?” Gert sent a pleading stare at Nico and Alex, hoping for a teammate. “They need two people to beat.”

“Absolutely not.” Nico took a step back. 

"I'll sit out until they tire themselves out."

“I’ll play,” Karolina said. Though she had no idea what volleyball was, Molly's excitement was infectious.

“I knew I liked you for a reason!” Molly shot out of the water, sending it spraying everywhere.

"Why!?" Alex yelled as it splashed into his face. Molly ignored him.

“I'm going to grab us a net.”

“Let’s do this!” Chase sprinted after her.

“You’re brave to volunteer to go up against those two,” Nico said.

“What’s volleyball?” Karolina asked.

“We’re so going to lose.” Gert trudged out of the surf toward where Chase and Molly were waiting near a net for the game to finish up. “Alex, will you be the referee?”

While they waited their turn, Karolina watched the people in front of them played the alien game. Gert pointed out strategy and rules as they made their moves. Karolina wasn’t sure the point of it, but it looked fun. She struggled with getting her hands folded the way Gert showed her. Chase and Molly were distinctly unhelpful, shouting out incorrect tips to throw her off, to Gert’s increasing annoyance.

“If you want to have a game at all you have to let me teach her something!” She protested to the grinning pair. Out of the corner of her eye, Karolina saw Nico sitting with Old Lace and fighting to keep her composure. All this build-up made her trepidatious, especially the reputation of Molly and Chase’s team everyone but she was all too familiar with.

When it was their turn, Molly and Gert played rock paper scissors for the serve. Molly won and took the ball to her side of the net. She stood at the far end of the court, readying her to serve.

“Oh god,” Gert moaned when Molly took the initiative. “Don’t even try to return this, if you know what’s good for you.”

“What do you mean?” Karolina asked. Molly tossed the ball in the air before she answered. With an echoing smack, she sent the ball rocketing toward the other side of the net, right at Karolina. Not heeding Gert’s advice, she put her arms out to hit it back.

Firey pain burned up her forearms at the sheer force of the ball hitting them. She gasped as tears briefly rose to her eyes. Then the pain was gone, and Gert was staring at her.

“You returned it,” she said, mouth agape. Molly and Chase were staring at her as well.

“That hurt!” Karolina cried. She rubbed her arms, the remnants of pain still in her mind though it no longer stung.

“You should be sobbing right now,” Molly complained. “No one can return my serves!”

“I mean, the ball went way over there, so she didn’t really,” Chase said. “I’ll be right back.” He dashed off.

“That’s a point for Molly and Chase,” Alex said

“This changes things,” Gert said. “If you can return her serves we stand a chance. Just keep them in the air and let me worry about getting them over the net.”

“Is this why no one wants to face them?” Karolina asked. Gert grimaced.

“You haven’t even seen Chase in action yet.”

“Yeah, and you’re going down once I come into play,” Chase said as he returned. He wasn’t even out of breath after running across the sand and back. “Ready to get schooled, Gert?”

“Says the guy with a C- in Spanish.” Gert rolled her eyes.

“Says the guy on the varsity lacrosse team.” He didn’t give her any time to respond before serving the ball.

If Karolina thought merely walking on sand was exhausting, running on it was completely different. Chase’s energy lasted the longest, but halfway through the game even he was flagging. The playful jabs he and Gert exchanged were ragged and incomplete. They didn’t have the time or breath to complete them before Molly or Karolina started the game up again. Once Karolina got the hang of it, she was the only one who could return Molly’s serves. The sun rejuvenated all the cells killed by the force. Her arms stung for only a second. Between that and Gert’s competitive stubbornness, they weren’t completely swept. They still lost by quite a margin.

“Alright. Let’s...switch up...the teams,” Gert panted. “Chase!”

“I think I’m good,” Karolina said, stepping off the court despite Molly’s pout. Keeping her glow muted while in direct sunlight was a challenge. It was time she sought shade.

“Alex, you’re up!” Molly said when her pleading did not affect Karolina.

Having little idea what the rules were, Karolina was excused from referee duty. Exhausted and sweaty, she tottered off to sit by Nico under the umbrella.

“Don’t think you’ve escaped for long,” Nico said once Karolina flopped down beside her. “Now they know you can return Molly’s serves they’ll be clamoring for you to play against her.”

“Why don’t you play?” Karolina asked.

“Not my thing. I’d rather watch.”

“Come on Chase! Don’t tell me you relied on Molly that whole last game, Mr. varsity lacrosse!” Gert’s shout reached them even as far away as they were.

“It’s easier to win when you have a partner who pulls their weight,” Chase said. His adoring smile took the bite out of his words.

“Gert and Chase have a very strange courtship ritual,” Karolina said. Nico blinked rapidly.

“Courtship ritual? You’re such an alien,” she said.

“Hey! You try moving to a whole other planet and learning everything about their culture in just a few weeks.”

“Kidding. Where did you learn about “courtship rituals” anyway?” Karolina’s cheeks burned at the teasing, and she hoped she was still flushed with exertion to hide it.

“I watched a lot of the Youtube while you were at school. It’s very informative.”

“Ok yeah, probably not the best basis. But you’re right about that. Gert and Chase are weirdos.” Nico chuckled to herself, attention still on the game. Karolina drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She stared at Nico instead, struggling to draw up the courage to ask her next question. “It’s even weirder somehow because of my dad and Chase’s mom’s affair.” Nico beat her to the punch.

“Well that’s...complicated,” Karolina said. She examined Chase, laughing on the volleyball court. It was hard to connect him to a shattered family. Such an affair must have wrecked his life as much as Nico’s.

“Is it always boys and girls here? Who gets together, I mean. Or is it ever boys and boys? Or,” her voice caught in her throat, but she forced her way past it, “girls and girls?”

“Uh…” Nico’s shoulders tensed and she shifted her seat. Karolina hoped she didn’t read into her hesitation. Nico brushed sand from the towel as she answered. “Sometimes? I mean, not as often. It does happen.” She threw her head back, staring at the inside of the umbrella. “I don’t really...do that. Date. I tried with Alex but...no, I don’t.”

Karolina frowned as she sensed Nico shutting down. It was too much in line with how she must have acted before Karolina crashed here. It made her sad that even in a society where Nico could love who she liked, she chose not to. 

“Anyway, what’s Gibborim courtship like?” Nico asked. It was a deflection, no doubt about it. Karolina wanted to dispel the dark cloud hanging over her, though, so she indulged.

“Very different from America,” she said. Not that she had much experience with the average life of her people, being the Magistrate’s daughter. “It’s mostly arranged marriages. Not much romance. We tend to live in a very sterile society. With the threat of total annihilation hanging over us, no one wants to shake things up too much, so to speak.” Much to her dismay, the cloud hung heavier as she spoke. It was a different kind, brought on by Nico lowering her gaze to fix Karolina with a sad look. 

“It’s fine! Really! I didn’t know any better before I left.” Karolina frantically tried to backtrack, hating that she was the one who made Nico look so sad.

“You must have known something, if you wanted to leave,” Nico said.

Guilt squirmed in Karolina’s belly as she thought of her wicked family. With so much going on lately, she hadn’t the chance to think about them. Not that she missed them. She wondered how the war was going, if she’d done enough to stop it. She should have done more.

Karolina opened her mouth to respond, but an explosion of sand showered over her. She spluttered as it got in her mouth and threw up her hands to protect herself.

“Sorry! Sorry guys,” Molly said. As she ran over she kicked more sand on the sitting girls than the volleyball did. “My spike got out of control.”

“Aren’t there rules against spiking?” Nico growled.

“Not if you want to win.” Molly scooped up the ball. “We’ll keep it away from you guys, though.”

“Please do,” Nico said.

Karolina was almost relieved Molly’s interruption came when it did. Her shoulders dropped from where they were tensed up by her ears. They were treading into dangerous conversation. Her motivations for leaving were complex, and not even she understood them entirely. Beyond that, there was something more she refused to admit to herself, something that was unlocked just now. Her reasons for staying away had shifted from what they were upon first landing, and she needed more than a split second to process them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> smash that kudos button if you miss runaways
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	10. Chapter 10

“And there were only twelve of them. Twelve!” Karolina leaned forward with a wide-eyed expression, hands clenching her knees.

“That’s bullshit,” Gert said. “There is no way twelve Xartans could take down a half a Gibborim armada. And I can’t believe that was a sentence I just said.”

“Trust me. Xartans are way worse than Gibborim. We may be ruthless, but their warriors are some of the most deadly in the galaxy.” Nico paused in folding up the last blanket from their sleepover.

With everyone rightfully tense about Karolina’s current uncertain status, they had been reluctant to part as they drove home from the beach. All had been quiet until a rather squashed Alex suggested a sleepover in the guesthouse where Karolina was staying anyway. They were stronger together, better able to protect Karolina. And it would explain any signs of habitation. To Nico, it spoke to Karolina’s easygoing charm that she managed to get even they cynical Alex so staunchly on her side. He swore he only needed a few more days to finish her papers.

Nico’s jealousy was staved off by nocturnal habits. She and Karolina were the last ones awake. Though Karolina was two feet below the couch on an air mattress, Nico put a crick in her spine leaning over to whisper with her late into the night. Chase and Molly’s snoring overshadowed the volume of their conversation. If anyone slept poorly aside from the two who stayed up late, it certainly wasn’t Nico and Karolina’s fault. The struggle to keep her eyes open was worth it to Nico as she recalled Karolina’s eager conversation. It was reassuring for Nico to have such a clear sign of still being the favorite.

She jumped as Molly grabbed her leg. “Nico, what’s wrong with your face?” Molly was on her back, half hanging off the couch in the effort to spook Nico.

“Wow, rude,” she spluttered, unable to come up with a better comeback.

“No. Actually,” Molly’s eyes were almost as big as her grin, “are you smiling? For no reason?”

“I didn’t know you could smile at all,” Chase joined in on the ribbing. Nico’s cheeks tingled with heat.

“Can’t I just be smiling? You guys do it all the time.”

“But Nico doesn’t.” Molly rolled off the couch, twisting to land on her feet. She grabbed Nico by the shoulders. “She’s a Xartan imposter! What have you done with Nico?”

“I put her in a woodchipper and fed her to the sharks. Like I’m going to do with you if you don't let go of me,” Nico growled.

“Ok, it’s her,” Gert said through her laughter. “That’s a patent Nico glare if I ever saw one.”

“You all make fun until you need someone to scare people away from tables,” Nico grumbled.

“Table your discussion!” Nico grabbed Molly’s shoulder to steady herself in the face of the shouting. Alex barreled in from the other room on the heels of his words, clothing rumpled and glasses askew. He waved a fistful of papers over his head. Pushing his glasses up as he skidded to a halt before Karolina, he bent over double, panting. 

“What an entrance, Wilder,” Chase said. Alex glared at him, but without his usual venom.

“Where have you been? We woke up and you were gone,” Gert said.

“We started on the cleanup.” Molly pointed to the pile of blankets Nico folded.

“Great. Awesome.” Alex didn’t even glance at them. He stared at Karolina with bloodshot eyes. Karolina curled up on the couch.

“Is everything ok?”

“I figured it out. Stayed up all night. Everything is great!” He brandished the papers with a flurry, thrusting them at Karolina. “You are now a resident of Earth. Complete with a birth certificate and immigration papers.”

“Really?” Karolina bent over the papers. Everyone rushed her to examine Alex’s handiwork over her shoulder.

“Alex, are you kidding me? You made her last name Dean?” Nico’s eyes bulged in disbelief. 

“It’s been a long night. Move over.” He pushed Molly off the couch before falling face-first into it. Nico winced as his glasses crunched. Alex started snoring. 

“Congratulations, Karolina,” Gert stage whispered. “This is a pretty great forgery.”

“How did he do this?” Chase asked, also whispering.

“This means everything,” Karolina said. Her voice was tight and her eyes watered, though she kept her gaze downturned to hide it. She grabbed Alex’s shoulder. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” His response was a long snore, the best Karolina would get. He must have been hit with inspiration last night and snuck off to work it through. By the looks of him, it took all night. Nico and Karolina were the only ones up beside him, and they must have been too distracted to catch him leaving the group.

“Congrats on becoming a fake citizen of Earth,” Gert said. “What do you want to do first?”

Karolina stilled from bouncing in place at the question. She tilted her head as she considered it. “I would like to...go to school.”

Chase laughed sardonically. “Really? You weren’t bored enough the first time you came? Good one, Karolina.”

“Not to mention you were almost caught,” Nico said. Her hands gripped the back of the couch as her unease rose. What was Karolina getting at?

“I was in a DS the whole time. I want to go as a person who can interact with people and the classroom and stuff,” Karolina said.

“School’s not going to get any better just because you can interact with it.”

Karolina raised an eyebrow. “Have you ever been stuck in a form that was nothing more than energy for ten hours? Because I can tell you, we can only go up from there.”

“Nico, are you ok? You look like you’re about to throw up,” Gert interrupted the discussion. Nico jolted as the full force of Gert’s concern hit. Her head felt light and Nico took a shallow breath, her first in a while. 

“I’m fine,” Nico choked. 

“It’ll be ok,” Karolina said gently. “I’ve had enough practice I won’t start glowing all of a sudden. No one will find out I’m an alien.”

“We could say you’re shadowing one of us,” Molly suggested. “It’s a good reason for her to be there in the first place, and it will pair you up with one of us so you aren’t all alone.” Everyone immediately looked to Nico.

“Wouldn’t we have to get parental permission?” She asked.

“I mean, we should introduce Karolina at some point if she’s going to be here permanently,” Chase said. “When she was at my house that almost got real bad with my mom.” Karolina shuddered, reliving the memory.

“And we’re coming right out the gate with the toughest sell. Sounds logical.”

“If you don’t want me to follow you I don’t have to,” Karolina said. Her pleading expression did not match her words. Nico sighed.

“Of course I do,” she said. “If you really want to we can get you through a meeting with my parents. But I warned you.” Karolina beamed.

“No worries. I can be quite the charmer.”

***

Karolina walked up to Nico’s front door on unsteady legs. The entire trip from Gibborim to Earth she wasn’t this motion sick, but now she couldn’t gasp down enough fresh air to settle her stomach. The only good thing about Gert’s driving was that it took her mind off of whatever she was worried about. The whole drive here she sat on her hands to keep from clenching her fists and prayed for the best-case scenario — keeping her breakfast down. Though in all honesty, more than the drive made her queasy. She of all people should know how to deal with terrifying parents, but the wide eyes and shivers descriptions of the Minorus brought on in her new friends were enough to make her want to avoid an encounter for as long as possible. She was here against her survival instincts for the sake of necessity.

In her hands she held the shadowing form, to be submitted to the office when they arrived at school. All she had to do was get a signature from Nico’s parents. She stood on the Minoru's doorstep psyching herself up to lie to them. This whole day was a huge test for her, and right now she was almost too nervous to mute her glow, standing in the morning sunlight.

The door opened in her face before she knocked. “They can see you’re here on the cameras,” Nico said as a greeting. Her attention was over Karolina’s shoulder at Gert pulling out of the driveway, leaving them stranded.

“They’re going to pick up Chase.” Karolina forced the words through a tight throat. “Said this could take a while.”

“They didn’t think that they’re our getaway car?” Karolina shook her head. “Ok. Might as well get it over with.” She stepped out of the doorway, inviting Karolina inside.

Despite spending two whole weeks there, Karolina was unfamiliar with most of the house. It was easy to fake gawk in a new environment. She had to try not to let it show too much. Compared to the other places she’d been on Earth, the Minoru house was easily the most alien. Gert called it “modern.” Nico stuck close to her side as she led the way into the kitchen, which was spotlessly bright and full of sharp angles. Karolina could barely tell anyone lived here at all.

As they entered, the occupants of the room looked up. Karolina recognized Tina from when she was snooping in Nico’s room. She sat at the counter, spine stiff and tablet in hand at an attempt at casualness. She turned it off as soon as Karolina stepped into the room, but not fast enough to hide the camera feeds displayed on the screen. Nico’s dad, on the other hand, was already on his feet. His smile crinkled the corners of his eyes, and he started towards Karolina with one hand extended.

“Hello. Karolina, is it? I’m Robert. Nico’s told us so much about you.” He grabbed Karolina’s hand and she fought hard not to flinch. Greetings on Earth were so strange. His hand was warm and dry, grip loose enough for Karolina to break free easily.

“Not enough,” Tina murmured. She rose for her turn to crush Karolina’s hand.

“It’s good to meet, Mrs. and Mr. Minoru,” Karolina said. For once she didn’t angst over her English. Nico already told them it wasn’t her first language, and any mistakes would serve to sell the lie. These were the kind of people to zero in on any mistakes. Even Robert with his kind smile watched her every microexpression. 

“Better late than never.” Tina’s words weren’t as reassuring as they should have been. “I hear you’ve fallen in with Nico and her friends rather quickly. Impressive, since they’ve all been best friends since they were in diapers.”

“Their parents are our friends, you see,” Robert said. “Those multigenerational relationships are special.”

“Yes, I’m sure,” Karolina said. Sweat trickled down her spine despite the cool air blowing from a floor vent. These people were playing off each other perfectly, searching for a weakness in her story. Karolina’s paranoia was high enough for it to all be in her head, but she doubted it.

“If you’re friends with our children, I’d love to meet your parents. Keep the tradition going, as it were.” Karolina’s hands balled into fists at her sides. Her parents were a galaxy away, and not the kind of people even Nico’s parents would want to deal with.

“Karolina’s here on her own,” Nico said. Karolina leaned into her, hoping to convey her gratitude. She jumped in at the perfect time. Karolina was about thirty seconds from admitting she’d lived in their house for nearly three weeks. Exposure to their interrogation skills made Nico better able to stand firm.

“Ah, yes. You’re a refugee, aren’t you? I’m very sorry you were displaced.”

“Thank you, Mr. Minoru. I’m very lucky to have met friends like Nico.

“Where are you from, exactly? And what are you running from?” Tina spoke as if armed insurgents were about to burst in on them at any moment.

“Mom! That is way too personal.”

“It’s ok,” Karolina reassured her. Maybe facts would get the Minorus on her side. “I left an arranged marriage my parents were pushing me to.”

“You’re so young!” Robert’s exclamation invoked a small flutter of triumph in Karolina. Pathos was the way to his good graces.

“How are you getting on in America, then?” Tina’s next question squashed Karolina’s rising hopes. It was a terrible idea to tell the truth right now, that she’d been freeloading off Nico almost entirely. A buzz from Nico’s pocket distracted her.

“Gert’s back,” Nico said. She looked up at her parents, giving them as hard a stare as they were giving Karolina. “Can you sign?” Tina opened her mouth, only for Robert to answer first. 

“Of course. Have fun today. Don’t forget your homework,” He said as he signed the form.

“It’s packed,” Nico said, letting him pull her into a hug. 

“Goodbye!” Karolina gave the Minorus her most innocent, winning smile as Nico dragged her toward the door. As soon as they were out of the kitchen, relief cast off her veneer. She shuddered an exhale and dropped her head into Nico’s shoulder.

“That went great,” Nico said. Karolina nodded without lifting her head. “The hardest part is over.”

“I don’t know. We still have to not throw up in Gert’s car,” Karolina said. Nico’s laugh was all it took to drive away the last of the motion sickness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you all are staying as safe and healthy as you can during this craziness. make sure you're taking care of yourselves! Thanks for reading


	11. Chapter 11

As they walked through the front doors of the school, Karolina stared with open awe. Her head jerked this way and that, trying to take in all the new sights and sounds. Nico pressed her lips together to flatten the smile that threatened. She stood taller, proud of her planet and culture for once.

Karolina did a double-take when she finally saw Nico watching her. “It’s different seeing this with actual eyes.”

“I’m sure it is,” Nico said, unable to hide her amusement. The wonder on Karolina’s face made her sunshine embodied.

“Two steps through the door and you’re already popular.” Gert nodded at a cluster of students openly staring at the newcomer. 

Karolina followed her gaze and waved to her audience. The students huddled back into a group, startled she acknowledged them. They still sent a few quick glances when they thought they could get away with it. Atlas Academy was by no means small, but few who went here started past first grade. Everyone knew everyone, and there was no anonymity. Karolina was eye-catching even in her human form.

“Where are we going now? Class? What class do we have? What do you learn here?” Karolina fired off questions, unbothered by the attention she garnered. 

“We could take a walk through the courtyard,” Chase said. “Sometimes clubs sit out there trying to recruit. It’s nothing special, but for you it might be.”

“Yes, please! I need to see if the Dance Squad is recruiting yet,” Molly said. With her thumbs hooked through her backpack straps and the way she bounced on her toes, she was almost as enthusiastic as Karolina. It was nauseating in the best way.

As Chase predicted, the courtyard was packed. There were several tables set up, boasting student-made posters proclaiming their purpose. The crowd was thick and slow-moving in that area, so Nico and her friends headed to the more grassy area. Karolina stared fascinated at a trio of kids kicking a small weighted sack in the air.

“What are they doing?” She asked.

“Oh man, we have  _ got  _ to introduce you go hacky sack.” Chase dumped his bag on the ground. “Come on.”

“What?” Karolina’s eyes widened with distress as Chase headed toward them.

“They won’t mind if we join. I play sometimes.”

“I’m ok just watching.” She looked at her feet bashfully.

“At least introduce yourself. That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?”

“It’s not always worth it,” Alex said. “You can stick to us, too.”

“But what about the experience,” Chase moaned. Gert rolled her eyes.

“If you go, it will shut him up,” she said, even as Chase protested. Karolina hesitated until Nico gave her an encouraging smile.

“Ok. But just to watch in close.” Chase pumped his fist in the air.

“You’re going to love it. Ricky is the funniest person I’ve ever met.” He dragged Karolina off.

“She doesn’t seem too overwhelmed,” Gert said as they watched Chase make introductions. Shy at first, Karolina warmed up and quickly became her usual beaming self.

“Doesn’t look like she’s about to start glowing and zooming through the sky,” Alex said. “That’s what I’m worried about.”

“She’s fine, dingus.” Molly smacked his arm. “You’re just jealous because she’s likable.” Alex sulked too hard to refute her.

Nico let their conversation fade into the background. Her full attention was on Karolina. She hoped school was living up to her expectations so far, and that she was enjoying being able to interact with the physical world. From the way she was grinning so widely her eyes were almost closed, Nico was confident it was. Karolina cheered as Ricky kicked the sack from a particularly difficult angle. He grinned at her over his shoulder. Jealousy writhed in Nico’s gut as they exchanged a moment. Wrestling it down was a contest of will. It was completely unfounded. Nico was just crazy, was all.

She didn’t have to fight for long before Karolina was distracted by one of the tables. Waving goodbye at the hacky sack players, she dashed off.

“Uh oh, alien on the loose,” Alex said. Nico was after her before he finished his sentence, Gert hot on her heels.

“What exactly do you dance,” Karolina said as they arrived behind her. She held a flyer, reading intently.

“Uh, I don’t know. The Cupid Shuffle?” Said the girl at the booth.

“Oh no,” Gert said, recognizing the voice. Nico’s jaw tensed as well. “Eiffel.”

“But I thought it was a dance. Why would you shuffle? Or is that a dance here?” Karolina glanced out of the corner of her eye and brightened when she saw Nico. “Hi! What’s a Cupid?”

“Ew, what a freak,” Eiffel said to the girl sitting next to her. “I can’t believe they let dumb kids like you into this school. You can’t even speak. You certainly don’t belong at the dance with your freak squad.” 

Karolina gaped at Eiffel’s harsh words. She turned to Nico with tears watering in her eyes. Nico’s vision went dark with anger. She started forward only for Molly to grab her arm and hold her in place. It was an effort not to direct her fury at her friend.

“That’s easy for you to say, Eiffel.” Gert’s righteous voice cut through the fog of fury. “You were raised in a single language household, and the entire world is set up to benefit the speakers of that language. In case you need a reminder, because I’m sure you rarely step outside your own bubble, not everyone’s first language is English. Karolina is a refugee who is trying very hard to fit in. You’re a privileged bitch who punches down without consideration.” Nico gaped as she paused for breath. “By the way, we’ll take six tickets, since there are no criteria for which kids belong at a school-sanctioned function.”

“What just happened,” Nico asked as Alex herded them away from the table. Gert clutched the tickets in hand, a smug grin on her face.

“I think Eiffel is wondering that too,” Molly said, looking over her shoulder. “Do you think this will hurt my chances with the Dance Squad?”

“Gert, that was the most epic, righteous smackdown I’ve ever seen,” Chase said. “Did you rehearse that? It was so cool!”

“I had some pent up anger at her.” Gert shrugged. She yelped as Chase spun her into a massive bearhug. Craning her neck to speak to Karolina, she said, “thanks for giving me the opportunity to release it.”

When sniffling was the only reply, Nico immediately whirled on Karolina. Her hands twitched, the need to comfort Karolina outweighing her shyness of public affection. She managed to restrain herself to stepping next to Karolina so they were shoulder to shoulder, offering support if she wanted it.

“Are you ok? Eiffel is an asshole, you shouldn’t listen to her,” Nico said.

Karolina shook her head. “It’s not that. I just...when I ran away I never expected to find people who actually cared about me.” Her voice was waterlogged. Tears dripped down her cheeks as she earnestly looked to Gert. “You didn’t have to defend me so hard. All of you...you’ve done so much for me. I can’t begin to thank you.”

“You’re one of us, now,” Alex said. He looked physically sick as he forced the words out, but coming from him they meant the most. “We stick up for each other.”

Nico tossed aside her reservations at that moment and pulled Karolina into a hug. She fit perfectly under Karolin’s chin. Karolina clung to her, crushing ribs as she did. Nico wouldn’t have it any other way. She only froze when the rest of her friends converged. The center of a group hug was the last place she wanted to be, even if it meant she was in Karolina’s arms. That was a small comfort at least.

At the thought, Nico coiled even tighter. She hoped her friends would chalk it up to physical discomfort, but the true source was a very uncomfortable thought. Karolina never had people care this much about her. The amount she cared made Nico want to shut down. She was no stranger to strong bonds, even if they were weakened recently. This was a different feeling. As deep as the love she felt for Amy and her friends. And the scary part was Nico knew what she was feeling. She didn’t care for Karolina like a friend. She cared for Karolina like she once did for Alex, but ten times the intensity. And ten times the fear. Karolina was an alien! What was she thinking?

As the hug slowly dissolved, Nico retreated as fast as she thought respectable. Not for the first time she appreciated her mask of a face. The height of emotion was not the best time for her to so much as hint she had a revelation. Even so, she joined the rest of her friends in wiping her cheeks as they all freed their limbs.

“So apparently we’re going to a dance,” Alex said. 

Gert winced and rubbed the back of her neck. “Sorry. Heat of the moment.”

“No problem. I was going to ask you anyway,” Chase said.

“Spoilers!” Molly cried. “You just ruined it!”

“Were you in on it?” Gert demanded.

“What drew you to that table anyway?” Alex asked as Molly frantically tried to fix her error.

“It was the most crowded one,” Karolina said. “And I’ve never seen dance used as a noun before. I really want to see what it is.”

Alex turned to Nico, knowing she’d be the most hesitant to agree. “We did commit to helping her adjust to life on Earth.”

“You don’t want to go?” Karolina asked.

“Uh.” All coherent thoughts evaporated from Nico’s mind. Alex was right to think she’d drag her heels. The dance was the last place she wanted to be. He didn’t know she was willing to do just about anything if Karolina asked it of her.

“Will you please go to the dance with me?” The question sucker-punched Nico at the same time it elated her. She spluttered, unable to string words together to make a response. Alex stared at her, curiosity blazing across his face. She was being too weird about this. Why did Karolina have to ask her in particular?

“Yeah. We’ll all go together,” Nico finally managed. “It’ll be a blast.

* * *

Staring up at the enormous gray and glass building, Karolina was glad they couldn’t go shopping when they first bought their tickets for the dance. Between Gert’s social justice club, Alex’s robotics meetings, andChase’s lacrosse practices, Nico’s friends were a busy bunch. The “mall” was huge, as big as anything Karlina had ever seen. She had no idea how they would find anything they wanted. Not that she knew what they were looking for in the first place.

The glass doors slid open automatically as they approached. The tile floor was so polished she could nearly see her own reflection, and various scents of food, perfume, and new products assaulted her nose. People were everywhere, of such diversity in looks and styles Karolina could barely believe they were all human beings.

“A momentous occasion,” Gert said as they ducked out of the way of a woman rushing by using a stroller as a battering ram. “Karolina gets to experience firsthand the animalistic consumerism of America.”

“Are you ok with this? If it’s too much we can find someplace smaller?” Nico said.

“Its...wow,” Karolina breathed. “Everything is so alien.”

“Says the literal alien,” Chase said. Gert elbowed him in the gut and he gasped.

“I’m not a huge fan either, this place is too big and anxiety-inducing. But it has literally everything you could possibly want,” Gert said.

“I’m following you guys. I have no idea what I’m looking for.”

“Oh! This is going to be so much fun. Karolina, don’t worry. I’ll be your stylist,” Molly said. She linked their arms, smiling so broadly Karolina couldn’t help but smile back.

“You have fun,” Gert said. “We’ll meet back here.”

“Gert knows a great sustainable department store where we can find coordinating outfits.” Chase only had eyes for Gert as she dragged him off.

“Wait, don’t—” they were long gone before Alex could finish his sentence. “Leave me alone with them.”

“It’s not me you’re going to have to worry about,” Nico said. Karolina hardly heard her, for she and Molly were already heading in a different direction from Gert and Chase. “We better not lose them.”

“Ok, first things first.” Molly parked them in front of a window display of three mannequins in dresses. “Window shopping. I need to know what style you like before we find a place to look for your outfit. Tell me what you’re connecting to.”

“Uhh.” Karolina stared at the window display helplessly. She stared at the dresses and tried to do what Molly asked.

“That’s a no-go face,” Molly said. “It’s alright, there’s always another store.”

“Wait, I don’t even—” Molly wasn’t listening. She swept Karolina along. Karolina shot a helpless glance back at Nico, who shrugged. Her lips were pressed in a thin line as she tried to suppress a smile. Alex looked just as amused watching Karolina struggle in vain.

“Let’s start here. They have all the basics. What’s your size?” Molly pushed her into a store at the far end of the mall. 

“Uh, about 5’8? In feet, right?” The sound from the main walkway shifted as soon as they entered the store. The echoing voices and harsh pop music faded, replaced with softer music and quieter talking.

“Oh boy, we’re really starting from scratch. Alex, the men’s section is on the floor below us.”

“This store has two floors?”

“Do you seriously not have anything like this on Gibborim?”

“Molly!” Nico hissed. “Not so loud.”

“You’re going to blow her cover!” Alex said

Molly waved a hand dismissively. “They’ll just think it’s a brand. Well?”

“Not really? I mean, we had shops, but very different from this.” There was so much for Karolina to take in. Her gaze bounced from the crystal light fixture hanging over a descending staircase which moved, to the enormous pictures plastered on the walls of models showing off different outfits, to the endless racks of clothes.

“Oh, so we really are starting from scratch. That’s cool. Let’s just try to find your style first.”

“I’ll meet you guys back here,” Alex said.

“You’re next on my list, Alex!” Molly shouted after him. “You have the fashion instinct of an armadillo.”

It seemed as though one moment Molly was only just setting upon the racks and the next she was shoving Karolina into a changing room with an armful of dresses to try on and parade in front of her. At Karolina’s lukewarm reaction to what she picked, Molly threw her arms into the air.

“Maybe Karolina can look for herself for a bit,” Nico suggested once they’d gone through everything Molly picked out. “You still have yourself and Alex to shop for.”

“Right.” Molly steepled her fingers, taking on an expression of intense concentration. “How much do you think Alex will let me get away with? Only one way to find out!” She dashed off as Karolina exchanged an amused look with Nico.

“Let’s see what we can do on our own,” Nico said, helping Karolina hang up everything she tried on the returning rack.

“I still have no idea what I’m looking for,” Karolina said.

“It’s ok. We can just browse. They don’t have everything here, definitely not anything I would buy.” Nico led the way to a new rack of dresses. “I’ll take this side, you take that one.”

“What are you thinking of wearing?” Karolina asked. She brushed her hand against the dresses as she walked down the row. Fabric shifted under her fingers; cool, smooth silk to rough embroidery. She could see flashes of Nico through the gaps in the rack, enough to watch her shrug.

“Not sure. Probably something I already have.” She fell silent and they continued to the other end of the rack. “Anything catching your eye?”

“Not really.”

“On to the next one, then.” Nico jerked her head at the next section. “I’ll come to your side, we’ll take a closer look.”

“For sure.” Karolina nodded enthusiastically. 

She continued her search even more distracted with Nico beside her. Simply going through the motions was hard when every motion made her brush against Nico.

“So with dances,” Nico began, staring at what Karolina thought was the gaudiest dress she’d seen so far, which was saying something considering the monstrosities Molly picked out. Karolina understood the feeling. It was hard to meet Nico’s gaze. Her breath quickened in anticipation as Nico mentioned the dance. “People tend to go to these kinds of things with a date.”

“What’s a date?” A vein pulsed in Nico’s temple and Karolina had to laugh. “I’m kidding. Like Chase and Gert, yeah?”

“You’re a jerk.”

“Aww, come on. I’m sorry, I was just teasing. What were you going to say.” 

Nico’s cheeks flushed and she fiddled with a ring on her forefinger. She opened and closed her mouth several times, starting to say something before second-guessing herself. A surge of boldness rose in Karolina. Her hand moved to take Nico’s before she thought about it. Nico gave a strangled gasp.

“You’re going to kill me.”

“I’m sorry, I’m not trying to.” Karolina loosened her grip immediately. Nico held on tight, hand sweaty but firm.

“Not in a bad way.” She cleared her throat.

“What were you saying earlier?” Karolina prompted.

“Ah. Yeah. Well, you know. With the dance. We could do that. Go as dates.” Karolina bit her lip as Nico finally spat it out. Her stomach flipped with excitement, happiness, something she couldn’t describe. It was unfamiliar — she’d never felt this way about her betrothed. “It could be fun. Please say something.”

“It would be!” The words rushed out of her mouth so jumbled it was a miracle if Nico understood them. “I mean, I would really like to be your date.”

“Cool.” Nico let out a sigh of relief. “Glad we’re on the same page.”

“Me too.” Karolina couldn’t help the giddy smile spreading across her face. Nico finally looked her in the eye, a secret grin on her face. Small as it was, it meant the world to Karolina. This kind of smile was secretive and just for her. Nico’s way of conveying more meaning to her stumbling words.

“Guys, you’ll never guess what I got Alex to agree to wear,” Molly said out of nowhere. Karolina jumped, letting go of Nico. She pressed a hand over her heart, which beat wildly from the shock.

“For God’s sake, Molly,” Nico growled. “Where did you come from?”

“The men’s section. That doesn’t matter. What does is Alex is finally coming out of his shell for once! He agreed to both a pattern  _ and  _ a color! Can you believe it? I really do work miracles.”

Karolina nodded along as Molly continued to chatter about finally finding her muse. Her attention was only for Nico. The smiles they shared when Molly wasn’t looking made the whole trip worth it for Karolina. Somehow, she was even more excited about the dance than when she first found out about it.


End file.
